When Nothing Is Said
by Fairy Red
Summary: Sequel to The Valentine's Day Gift Can't come up with a good summary. Anyway. this IS MarthxLink with jealous party conflicts. Rated for some language and future minor harassment. Chapter 18 up! Come read if you like!
1. Chapter 1

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Here we go…Fairy Red owes nothing from SSBM, Nintendo, or anything else that appears in this fanfic. And yes, this IS a shonen-ai fanfic, so if you don't like that sort of thing, then don't read.

**A/N: **After Roy's misadventure of trying to win Zelda's heart, Marth was harboring a secret crush of his own…or something like that. Yes, this story IS a Marth/Link fanfic, and when I say "Link", I mean "Link", not Lee. Just in case you forgotten how I do things…er…lessee…

Link - Lee

Young Link - Link

Okay? Just to avoid confusion. Also, the story will have three perspectives: Marth's POV, Link's POV, and 3rd-Person-Omniscient. Got it? All right! So…let's begin!

**Prologue: Where I met him.  
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_**Marth's POV**_

I remember my first day here. When Roy and I arrived, he had me carry all the luggage so he could run off and introduce himself to everybody. Which was fine by me, though I complained anyway. So many rooms were already taken, but I managed to find a room for me and Roy. I dumped his things in one room, and took the one across from his. He could arrange his things in his own time, but I wanted my room to look great now.

I went to work for a long time…But a few hours later, I was all settled. Indeed, I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life at the Super Smash Bros. Headquarters, but I knew I'd be spending a lot of time there. After all, there is no more Altea, so…

Someone had knocked on my door. And of course, Roy was there. He said that the leader of the Smashers, the Master Hand, had called a meeting. To get all the Smashers together. So I followed Roy to the stage Master Hand lived at; a place Master Hand called "Final Destination". According to the old Smashers, this place is new…I'm pretty excited. That they was one of the best I ever had…

Because that meeting was where I met him…

**Link's POV**

I'm not much of a fighter…I'm not skinny, but I'm not buff either. I didn't like to fight, but any time I did fight, it was because I was forced to. I mean, going all the way to Termina to find Navi, and instead…well, I suppose I don't have to go into that. The reason I'm here is because Lee invited me, Zelda, and Ganondorf to be a Smasher. I knew Lee was one, ut to think he invited us…

So we take a few things from Hyrule and bring them to the Super Smash Bros. Headquarters. And one thing I didn't realize…that there'd be so many people here. And for all the adventures I've been on (saving Hyrule with Lee, and saving Termina all by myself!), I was NOT a people person. I like being alone…so, Lee went cheerfully about like the cheerful moron he is and introduced us all to everyone he met who didn't know who we were.

Honestly…who _wouldn't_ know who I was? Or Zelda? Or even Ganondorf for that matter? We're big in so many worlds. So I sat on the couch, and didn't look at anyone. I snapped at anyone who approached me, and had even sent poor little Pichu crying away. I knew I'd be scolded for it, but I didn't care. I don't need anybody. Anyway, it wasn't long before Lee picked out rooms for us.

After I entered my room, I threw my things into a corner and flopped onto the bed. I hate people. And I hate noise. But this place is like silence died and the only thing that exists is noise…chatter…and mayhem. Well…that was to be expected. They are calling us "Mêlée" now. Still, it wouldn't hurt for a little bit of quiet so some of us could relax…

A matter of hours later, Zelda came inside me room. She asked me how I was settling in, and if I would like it here. She was always concerned for my lack of social skills. I sighed and told her I was settled in, I liked it here, yadda yadda yadda. She then tells me that the boss of the Smashers, the Master Hand, has called a meeting. A meeting as to get the Smashers together. And this meeting was what I loved best about coming here…

If I hadn't come, I never would've seen him…  
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**Hah…end prologue. Sorry it's so short! o But the rest of the story will be longer! I promise! So…I'll see you later! And let me know what you think! Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Can she see her "hubby" with another man? Or are you just that kinda of person…. HUH!?!! YOU ARE BISEXUAL!?!?!?

**A/N: **Bisexual?! C'est moi?! HOW DARE YOU?! …-notices readers- Uh, hi… hee hee. Don't mind the Disclaimer, he's an idiot. That being said, let's carry on!

**Chapter One: Tournament Memories  
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Present Day, 3****rd**** Person-Omniscient (3PO for short from now on)**

"Everyone! Everyone, gather around!" said Peach excitedly. "I have some great news!"

"Great news?" repeated Lee, looking up. "What good news?"

"I just received word from Master Hand," said Peach, waving a hand wildly in an effort to silence everyone. "We're moving into new headquarters this summer!"

"What?!" chorused all the voices of the Smashers who had gathered to listen. "New Headquarters?"

Link perked up a little, and looked out at the crowd from behind the couch. _New headquarters? That must mean we're getting new Smashers…_ he sighed and faced away from the group, hiding behind the couch again. _Great, as if this group wasn't wild enough…_

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" asked a voice.

"…?" Link looked up. "Oh…Zelda."

"You know it worries me when you hide like this," said Zelda. "Come on, we're going to have a meeting in the dining room."

"I don't want to come. New headquarters means new Smashers," said Link. "There's nothing to discuss."

"There's much to discuss!" disagreed Zelda. "You can't huddle here behind the couch forever, Link!" Link looked away and didn't answer.

Someone else stood next to Zelda. "Hey, Link, are you coming?"

Link gasped and looked up. It was Marth. "…well, I…"

"Oh, can you convince him?" asked Zelda with a sigh of relief. "I was worried that I wouldn't get around to him…"

"Please, don't worry about it," said Marth, waving a hand. "We're sitting at the dining room table. Come join us?_" _He held out a hand and gestured with his head to the dining room.

"…don't tell me what to do," said Link at last, pushing Marth's hand away. "It looks like I have no choice about coming to this meeting…" he sighed and followed Zelda and Marth to the dining room. All the Smashers sat down around the table, and Peach stood to make her announcement.

But Link wasn't listening anymore.

**Link's POV…**

Why did he come over to me? He knows I hate meetings… Well, I guess he knew he could convince me to come. I sighed again and slumped on the table, fiddling with a fork with my right hand as I rested my hand on my left. I then stole a glance at Marth. And he was looking back!

Before I knew it, I blushed a little and looked away. I don't like being stared at, but the reason I was blushing was because I _didn't_ mind him watching me… I just felt a little uneasy at the pitter-patter of my heart. I remember the first time he gave me a look like that…

**Flashback…about 2 years ago… (3PO)**

It was tournament time at the Smashers HQ, and Marth was looking for his partner. All their partners were drawn at random, and Marth had drawn Link. Which was fine by him. Marth walked over to Roy and tugged his sleeve. "_Ne, Roy…_"

Roy glanced back. "You CAN speak English, you know."

"_Eigo ha hanashimasu, ee, datte, nihongo ha suki desu,_" said Marth with a little pout crossing his arms.

"Whatever," said Roy with a shrug. "What is it?"

"_Roy ha Link ni doko neiru shiru desu ka?"_

"He went to the Portal, that's where I saw him," said Roy. "I don't know where he went, though. Do you know which was Peach went? She came by this way, but I don't see her…"

"_A soko ni,_" answered Marth, pointing towards the entertainment room.

"Thanks."

Marth watched Roy walk away, then headed for the Portal. _Hnn…boku wa doko ni kakureru shite ka?_" he entered the Portal and called, "_Figure Room!_"

And sure enough, there was Link inside the trophy room. "Tournaments…" muttered the elf under his breath. "I can fight on my own…I don't need a partner…" he lifted the paper in his hand. "Marth's to be my partner…"

"_So desu yo," _answered Marth, leaning against the table causally.

Link jumped and stood up. "M-Marth!" he stammered. "What are you… Were you looking for me? For the tournament?" Marth nodded. "Well…The tournament doesn't start until next week. We have until then to train."

"_Demo, toreningu shiteru ha hijou ni juuyou na!_" Marth sighed and sat down next to Link. "_Koko ni ha nani shiteru desu ka?"_

"That's none of your business," snapped Link, sitting down. "I just felt like being here because no one else was around."

"_Hitori de shite ga suki ka?_" asked Marth.

"…yes," answered Link slowly. "I do like being alone…but you can stay if you like. I don't mind you here with me…" Link trailed off and glared at the floor, his cheeks reddening a little. _God, I can say the most cheesiest things around him… What's wrong with me?_

"_Wakata. Nokoru koko ni shite._"

"…good. Stay here then." Link looked up at the trophies on the table. "You know… sometimes I come in here and rearrange the trophies."

"_Sou? Naze?_"

"It's fun. I like setting them up in different poses and such. I link making stories in this way." To demonstrate, Link stood up and headed for the table. "I'll pick someone at random to be a hero."

"_Eiyuu ka?_" Marth stood up and walked next to Link. _"Eiyuu wa dare desu ka kyou?"_

"Today's hero is…" Link closed his eyes and shuffled the trophies around. He stopped and picked up a trophy, opening his eyes to see what he picked. "Ah… Today's hero is…"

"_Boku?_" Marth looked at the trophy of him in Link's hand. "_Sou, ano hito ha boko wo kyuujo-nakereba naranai ha…_" Marth smiled and picked up a Link trophy. "_Link ka?_"

"Wha--" Link dropped the Marth statue and backed up. "Don't make fun of me! I--I never tell anyone what I do in here, and yet you ridicule me!"

Marth blinked. "_Demo, boku ha baka ni shiteru nai! Iu shite ha Link wo boku ni shinjiru."_

_"_What… Believe in you?"

"_Hai. Muzukashii ja nai._" Marth held out a hand. _"Paatonaa_?"

Link stared uncertainly for a few moments at the floor, and hesitantly looked up at Marth, who was smiling and waiting for an answer. "I…" he picked up the trophy he dropped and set it next to the Marth trophy. "Will you rescue me…if I fall?"

"_Mochiron! Boku wa soko irumasu,_" promised Marth. He put a ahnd on Link's cheek, and said softly, "_Yakusoku shiteru._"

"Marth…I…" Link looked up at Marth, and opened his mouth to say something…

"Hey, is-a Ness here-a?" asked Mario, hopping into the room out of the Portal. He stopped suddenly. "Oh…oops. Was I-a interrupting something-a?"

Link blushed and backed away from Marth. "M-Mario, we… Nothing happened, all right! We were just talking! Weren't we, Marth?"

Marth scowled at Mario, and sighed, setting his hand down. "_Hai, nani mo okuru nai. Mo, Ness ha entaatenmento ruumu."_

"…what?" asked Mario, not as fluent in Japanese as Link was.

"_Eigo ha hanashimasu ka?_" asked Marth to Link.

"It would help," muttered Link. "Excuse me, I… I'm leaving now! I'll meet you at…" Link glanced at the trophies, and said, "The Fountain of Dreams. Don't be late."

Marth nodded. "Don't worry, I won't be late."

"…thank you. And…remember your promise." With that, Link turned heel and left the trophy room.

Mario scratched his head. "So you'll speak English from now on?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Marth. He sighed sadly. "Only 5 people understand me when I speak Japanese…"

"Who are those five?" asked Mario curiously.

"Roy, Zelda, Lee, Mewtwo, and Link," answered Marth. "And Ness is at the entertainment room. Ness is your partner for the tournament?"

"Count on it," said Mario. "Thanks for telling me! Bye now!" Mario happily trottled out of the room.

"Hmm…a promise," said Marth to himself. He set the Marth and Link trophy next to each other, by the Fountain of Dreams trophy. "Yeah…I will rescue him if he falls. I'll do my best to make sure nothing bad happens to him…"

A week had come and past, and the day of the tournament had arrived. And battles were ferociously fought. Unfortunately for Link and Marth, they lost on round 5 against Lee and Pikachu. At matches end, they both went to the Trophy Room to relax.

"I can't believe we lost…" muttered Link, plopping himself down on the couch with a sigh. "I was so sure we'd win…"

"We did our best, and that's what should count, yes?" asked Marth.

"I know, but…" Link punched a throw pillow angrily. "We still should've won! It was my fault we lost! If I was more cautious, we wouldn't have lost!"

"Please don't be so angry," said Marth, looking down at Link. "It wasn't your fault, it was mine. I promised to rescue you, and yet I could do nothing when Lee and Pikachu gained up on you…"

Link shook his head. "I told you I don't need to be rescued… I cannot accept this loss… Oh, what should I do?"

"We could train," suggested Marth. "If we practice, we'll surely get better, won't we? I'd love the extra time with you."

"Don't say such cheesy things," sighed Link, though he let a small smile come across his face. "I do like being alone sometimes, you know. So, together like this is okay, but don't try to take me along everywhere."

"I know. You need your space." Marth looked worried and glanced up. "You're still a kid, huh…? And you'll never grow up, either…"

"Is something wrong with that?" asked Link. "I'm not too young for you, you know. In elfin years, I'll bet that I'm older than you!"

"Oh! So I'm the child now, is that it?" asked Marth. "Sigh…what am I going to do about this? The one I love is shorter than me!"

"Oh, why are you putting it like that?!" Link looked up at Marth in shock. "You say it so openly?! I don't think we're in THAT deep yet!"

"Hah…maybe you're right. Still, it's fun to dream, no?" asked Marth.

"Uh…I'm so embarrassed when you say things like that…" said Link quietly as Marth laughed and put an arm around Link. "Man…I guess I do, then."

"Do what?"

Link looked up. "You already know, don't you? Since the way we first met, right?"

"Of course… It's said best when nothing is said at all, huh?" Marth fixed some of Link's bangs and kissed him.

After the two pulled away, Link stood up. "Thanks, Marth…I guess I'll be leaving now…" Link waved and left for the Portal, calling, "Smashers HQ!"

Marth smiled, putting a hand to his mouth. _I really like him…it's so strange, isn't it? I'm just glad we can be like this…when we're alone…_"

**End flashback…**

Link smiled a little at the memory. _Our first kiss shared, huh…? I'm just glad that I…have someone. Someone who I can open to…_ he glanced up at Marth, who had started paying attention to Peach's speech again. _I just hope…no-one else finds out about it. I want it kept between me and Marth…_

Marth glanced over at Link with his eyes. _Even after all these years, we're still together…in a sense. I wonder…where will our relationship go from here?_  
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**Wow…I am so CHEESY! Aw…this is just a piece of crap, isn't it? Oh…am I living up to expectations? Am I? I hope that this isn't too sudden for you… Just review and tell me what you think, okay? Then I can stop being so nervous…phew. Hah! See you later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **You're just a freak…

**A/N: **And damn proud of it! And I offer my thanks to The Mad Joker and bijoukaiba to being the only reviewers thus far in this fanfic! Hey…do me a favor and spread the word! I WANT MORE REVIEWRS!!! -cries-

Anyway, let's carry on now!

**Chapter Two: Dreams and Spaghetti  
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Present Day, 3PO…**

The meeting ended, and everybody stood up and went back to what they were doing prior to the meeting. In Link's case, it was sitting behind the couch. He slumped behind the couch and sighed. _There was no point for me to come…all it was was announcing new Smashers and new HQ…_

"Link," said Marth, looking over the couch.

"Wah!" Link jumped and looked up. "M-Marth!" he stammered.

Marth laughed. "I scared you!"

"Damn you! I told you to not sneak up on me!" Link shifted around so he could glare up at Marth. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to know if you felt like training," said Marth.

"Training? Now?"

"Yeah…After all, there's another tournament in two weeks." Marth looked over his shoulder, checking the calendar on the wall. "Yes…On June 12." he looked back at Link. "And this is a tournament where you can choose your partner."

"And…I'm to be your partner, is that it?" asked Link.

"Yeah, _mochiron!_ After all…" Marth winked. "We have a partnership much deeper than that of any tournament pairing."

"Huh…!" Link blushed and looked down. "D-Do you have to say such silly things…? Come on, then!" he said hurriedly, standing up and heading to the Portal.

_He's so cute when he gets all flustered,_ thought Marth, and followed Link to the Portal.

Zelda stopped as she watched Marth and Link enter the Portal. "Hmm…Those two have been pretty close for a while…" she sat down on a couch and watched Lee and Ganondorf playing Mario Kart. "What are you two doing?"

"Racing!" grunted Lee as he kept his eyes glued to the screen.

"Settling differences!" grunted Ganondorf, moving in motion with the game as if he could control it that way.

_Obviously, both men can't devote energy to full speech,_ thought Zelda with a sigh. She pulled out a book, and looked up at the ceiling. _I wonder…do Marth and Link…?_ she shrugged and looked at her book again. _Ever if there was, it's none of my concern. I'll just leave it alone._

Mario looked up at the calendar. "Wowsa! Only 2 weeks-a before the tournament! Where's-a my Peach-a! There's a tournament coming up-a!"

Peach stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Mario, I'm already gonna partner up with Samus. Sorry."

"What?! But-But, Peach-a! We have to be-a partners!" Mario wailed and followed Peach into the kitchen.

**Meanwhile, with Marth and Link…**

Marth and Link were training at the Fountain of Dreams. Both were quick and skilled, but Marth had the advantage by size and strength. Pretty soon, after a few minutes of clanging swords, Marth had managed to knock Link's sword away and pin him to the ground. "…and you lose!" Marth had the sword to Link's neck. "See, you rely too much on your speed."

"Hmm…probably," admitted Link. "Now let me stand, you big lump!"

"Oh, insulting your foe is probably an unwise decision," said Marth with a mischievous glint. "When you're down like this, you're at your opponent's mercy."

"But I wasn't insulting you! You have put on a little weight," said Link. "Co-Come on, now move!"

"Have I?" Marth stood up and Link sat up with a sigh. "Wow, I worked so hard to not gain any weight…"

"Rice is fattening, isn't it?" Link looked up at Marth. "You eat a lot of rice, you and Roy. No wonder you both are so fat."

"I may have gained some, but I'm not fat," sighed Marth sadly. "You keep talking like that, you're gonna hurt my feelings…"

"Yeah…sorry." Link stood up and walked over to his sword. "This tournament… will it include our new Smashers?"

"Yeah, some, according to Peach, if you were listening to the meeting," said Marth, casting a mock-annoyed at Link over his shoulder.

"Oh…"

"Let me see…" Marth walked over to Link. "Peach said that Pit and Meta Knight were gonna come…and another guy, one not from any of our worlds. I think his name was Solid Snake."

"Is that all?" asked Link, sheathing his sword as he looked up at the prince.

"I think so. That is all I can remember. Other than Samus getting her new outfit, I think that's it. But maybe that won't be all."

"More? Bah…I hate people."

"You've always hated people." Marth ruffled Link's hair. "But that's a good thing, because it leave's us a lot of free time alone!"

"Ooh, you!" Link pushed Marth's hand away. "I said don't talk like that! I-- It makes it sound weird…"

"A romance between a human and an elf, both guys at that…that is weird, too, in the eyes of anyone who knew about this." Marth looked up at the night sky of the Fountain of Dreams. "Do you remember when we first came here together?"

"Yes, I do…" Link stood next to Marth. "But are you gonna pull another cheesy memory-lane moment, or are we gonna train?"

"Heh! You still haven't learned yet?" Marth picked up his sword. "Very well, let's continue!"

"All right!" As the two resumed their training, they did in fact take a trip down memory lane. Of the first time they came here together…

**Flashback…about two years ago…**

It was a week before the tournament, and Marth had left the Trophy Room to the Fountain of Dreams, where Link was waiting. "Link, I'm here."

Link looked back. "Oh…Marth. Okay…" he looked forward again, staring at the clouds below the stage.

"What're you looking at?" asked Marth curiously, walking over to Link, sitting next to him. "Haven't you been to the Fountain of Dreams before?"

"No…not yet," said Link quietly. "I never realized how beautiful this place was… I heard of it, but never saw it for myself."

"Never? And how long have you been a Smasher?" Marth looked down at the clouds. "You're so entranced by them. Don't you get clouds like this in Hyrule?"

Link shook his head. "None like this. The way these clouds look, it's like some fantasy dreamland… I feel at peace for some reason, when I look at these…"

"Well, yes, Fountain of Dreams, inside the land of Dreamland."

"It doesn't matter… I don't want to train right now, I want to watch these clouds…" he looked up. "And these stars…"

"Well…okay. Can I sit here with you?"

"Yes…_You_ can, and you know that." Link smiled at Marth. "Just…don't tell anybody that I was like this. That I'm…"

"What? That you're happy? Or that you smiled?" asked Marth teasingly.

Link laughed. "Yeah, that. Then they'll think that I'm a softy."

"Or…they'll KNOW you're a softy."

"But that is something they don't need to know…" Link leaned on Marth and looked up at the sky. "This feeling is something I want to share only with you…No matter how I sound saying that…"

Marth put an arm around Link and hugged him a little closer. "It will only be between us. Don't worry about it."

Link felt warmness spread through him.

**Link's POV…**

_It doesn't matter to me how cheesy I sound around him…I know it to be the truth. A place as beautiful as this should only belong to us…this moment belongs only to us… I stole a glance at Marth, and saw that he was as entranced in the beautiful scenery as I was. _

_Maybe…he's entranced by the beauty of this place because Altea was destroyed. Maybe…when he first came here, he felt at peace too. Marth felt like he would never see beauty again…until he came here. Here, escaping from devastation, with her friend Roy. He found peace…beauty…and he found me._

_And I found him._

**Present day…3PO**

After spending a few hours training, Marth and Link went back to the HQ, and saw that it was dinnertime. "Wow…I wonder what's for dinner," said Marth.

Link sniffed the air, then sneezed. "It smells like pasta…spaghetti and tomato sauce."

"Spaghetti and tomato sauce?" repeated Marth as he and Link walked to the dining room. "You sure do love getting technical."

"I'm not getting technical, it's what the smell is!" yowled Link. "It's spaghetti and sauce!"

"Yeah, Peach-a made some for me as an apology-a!" said Mario happily as he walked by the two.

Marth and Link stopped. "Apology?" they repeated in unison.

Peach sighed. "He believes that I owe him an apology because I didn't choose him to be my tournament partner. Oh, men men men…" she sighed again and followed Marth.

"…" Marth and Link exchanged glances, shrugged, and carried on.

**Marth's POV…**

_I'm not a fan of spaghetti, it's like softened soba. But Link loves it, even though he won't admit it to anyone else. I remember one time we had spaghetti. He had finished his, and got as much seconds as Mario and Luigi did. Hah! They weren't the only pasta fiends in the Smashers HQ!_

_Link is…very cute. That's one thing I love about him the most. The things that Link doesn't tell anybody…the things about him that I found out… Everything. So what will I do before Link decides to go up and get seconds? Before he even begins that meal?_

_I'll get him the biggest damn bowl we have and fill it to the brim with spaghetti!  
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**Aaw…isn't that the sweetest? What do you think? Remember to leave a review! I'm so eager to hear your opinions, The Mad Joker and bijoukaiba. And of course, if you're a new reviewer, LEAVE A REVIEW!! I want to know what you think! So…with that being said…Bye!! See you next installment!**


	4. Chapter 4

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **I'm glad people like it.

**A/N: **So am I! Praises, praises! WHEE! Please, continue!

**Chapter Three: Watching You  
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Flashback, 1 ½ year ago…3PO**

"Hey, Marth…Marth!" Roy waved a hand over Marth's face. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" Marth looked up distractedly at Roy. "Ah…Roy…"

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" asked Roy. "You were all spaced out just now. Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Yeah…Well, no…" admitted Marth, heaving a huge yawn. _I couldn't get any sleep, because I'm worried…_

"It's not like you to be staying up late," commented Roy. "What on earth do you have to do at night? All the stages are closed, lights out…"

"I was just…thinking," said Marth slowly.

"About what? Come on, you can tell me," said Roy, sitting next to Marth. "I'll listen to anything that's worrying you."

Marth glanced at Roy, then at the direction of the infirmary. "I'm worried… about those who have a cold." _Especially about Link…_

"Oh, that? You're such a worrywart! You know that they'll be fine." Roy sighed with relief. "Is that all that's worrying you? For real?"

"Yeah." Marth looked up at the ceiling. _He's right, I shouldn't worry… But still, I'll go check on Link anyway…_ he stood up. "I was gonna go check on those in the infirmary, okay?"

"Huh? Okay," said Roy, blinking. _Hmm…Marth has been acting pretty weird, ever since we first came here…_ Roy watched Marth walk towards the infirmary. _Gasp! It must be love!_ he realized. He blinked. _But…with who? Well, I have my Zelda-hime!_ Roy sighed dreamily and leaned back. _Zelda…heh heh…_

Back to Marth. He poked his head into the infirmary and saw that Link was asleep, as were the other two who had colds, which were Nana and Fox. "Sensei, how are they doing?" asked Marth.

Dr. Mario looked up from his desk. "I keep on getting confused whenever you call me 'sensei'. I always confuse it with you calling me 'teacher'…" he checked his clipboard. "Yep, the patients are all doing well. In a few days, they should be fine. But feel free to go and check on them yourself," said Dr. Mario, returning to his desk paperwork.

"Thanks…I will." Marth walked over to Link, who, except for the paler complexion and rosy red cheeks, Link looked fine. "Hey, Link…" he said quietly, taking a seat by him. "How are you feeling?"

"…" Link blinked. "Marth…?"

"Hey!" greeted Marth cheerily.

"I…I'm glad you came to check on me…" Link sat up, then sighed and lied back down. "Other then an infernal headache, I feel fine."

"That's good. I was just admiring how peaceful you looked when you were sleeping. Why don't you rest again?"

"You sound creepy when you say things like that," said Link, staring at Marth with one shifty-eye.

"Do I?" asked Marth. Link nodded. "Eh heh…well, it's true. You ARE cute when you're sleeping. You and your baby fat cheeks."

"Baby fat cheeks?" repeated Link indignantly. "I'm not baby fat cheeks!"

"But look at you, you're so cute!" said Marth, squeezing one of Link's cheeks.

"Aah…Cut it out, I need rest!" said Link.

"Oh…all right. I'll leave you alone, then," sighed Marth, pretending to be disappointed. "Get better soon, all right?"

"You know I will," smiled Link, snuggling his head onto the pillow. "Night…"

"Good night," agreed Marth, leaving the infirmary.

**Present day…Marth's POV**

_He doesn't have a cold…but even so, he looks so peaceful when he's asleep. It might be a bit creepy, but I always love coming in before he wakes up, just to watch him sleep. I'm glad I'm such an early bird…On mornings like these, where you can see the sun clearly from the east, rising…for one who doesn't like sun, he chose a room where the sun shines on his face when it rises._

_These days are getting longer, so the sun gets up earlier, too. And he's gotten paler over the years for some reason. When the sun hits his face, it makes him look golden. And he mutters in his sleep, too. How adorable is that! Though…sometimes, he mumbles sad things, too. Like memories of battles he didn't want to fight._

_But today, I don't have to worry. He's just here, sleeping peacefully._

**3PO**

Marth perked up. _Ah, Link's starting to wake up. I'd better leave, or I'll just scare him when he wakes up._ He stood up and left the room, just as Link opened his eyes.

"…" Link sat up. "Ah…there was that feeling again. Like someone was watching me…" he rubbed his eyes and looked around sleepily. "Hmm…ever since I first came here, I got that feeling…" he sighed and got out of bed, messing up his already messy hair, picking up his hat from the floor. _Not that that matters…I'm hunger, and I'll get myself some breakfast…_

When he got downstairs, he saw that a few Smashers were already awake, drinking coffee, or Italian sodas in Mario's case, and having cereal. _Oh…Marth's awake, too, _Link realized. _He's always awake whenever I come downstairs…_ he went into the dining room and ran into Zelda there. "Ooh…!"

"Oh! Sorry!" said Zelda trying to hold steady her two bowls in hand. "I didn't realize that you were about to open the door."

"That's okay," muttered Link, rubbing his nose. "Sorry, go on first."

"Really…? That's nice of you, thanks," said Zelda. She walked over to her spot at the dining room table, setting down a bowl for herself and Lee. "Lee, the tournament's coming up on June 12th…Lee?"

Lee snored loudly, his head slumped on the table. "Zzz…"

"Oh! Lee, come on! It's not too early for you!" she said, shaking Lee to try and wake him up.

Marth watched them. _They certainly are close…_ he glanced at Roy, who had just come downstairs. He saddened as he saw Roy sigh sadly and come sit next to him. "_Ohayo, Roy-chan,_" said Marth.

"Oh…" Roy yawned. "_Ohayo, Marth…_"

"Are you all right?" asked Marth sadly. "It's just…" he lowered his voice a little. "I know that you like Zelda, but…"

"Oh…don't worry about me," said Roy with a shrug. "I mean, Zelda is happy with Lee, isn't she? Besides, she and I haven't known each other for a long. Three and a half years isn't enough to actually want to be with someone."

"Roy…"

Roy shook his head an laughed. "Ah, listen to me, moping like a spoiled kid! I should be more cheerful!" he looked at Marth. "Did you already have breakfast? Or were you waiting for me to go get some for the both of us?"

"No, I already had some," laughed Marth. "I was just trying to wake up now. I'm still a little groggy."

Link came out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal and an apple. _Sigh…I can't wait until these people go shopping, I'm getting tired of Cheerios,_ he thought. _Today is May 30__th__… On Friday, we'll get some money to go shopping in the RealWorld to get some good food… _he sat down at his spot at the dining room table, which was next to Lee. "He's not awake, huh?" asked Link to Zelda.

"No, he's not," sighed Zelda, giving up and returning to her own breakfast. "He always tells me to wake him up early, and he never stays awake…"

Marth smiled. _Link likes apples, too…he had a good rest, after that big bowl of spaghetti I brought him. Hmm…I wonder why, if you have a big dinner, you have a small breakfast? That really is strange…_

Other Smashers stared waking up and coming downstairs for breakfast. Link gulped down the rest of the cereal, chewed down the apple, and hurried the bowl and apple to the kitchen. He tossed the apple away, set the bowl in the sink, and hurried to the entertainment room.

Marth raised an eyebrow. _That was quick…I think that was a new record…_

"Marth, do you have a partner for the tournament?" asked Roy. "I don't have a partner yet…"

"Oh, sorry…I have a partner, already," said Marth sadly.

"Shoot," said Roy, snapping his fingers. "So…who can be my partner?"

"Why not ask Zelda?" asked Marth. "You know, have some backbone! Go for it! Carpe diem!"

"Wha…!" Roy blushed and shook his head. "No, no! Don't be mean to me!"

"Hah ha…Okay, I'm sorry, Roy," said Marth. He stood up. "I'll be in the entertainment room if you need me."

"Okay, okay…" sighed Roy, slumping over his cereal, stealing glances at Zelda once in a while.

Marth smiled and shook his head. _He's one year older than me, but he acts like a kid sometimes…_ Marth walked to the entertainment room and sat on the couch. "Link…you there behind the couch?"

"Of course I am," came the reply from behind the couch.

"If you keep hiding out down there, people will think something weird is up with you," said Marth.

"Nothing weird is up with me," said Link. "I always hide here; everybody knows that. I'm not the only antisocial one here, you know. That Fox, sometimes he stays holed up in his room. And Mewtwo, let's not even go there. And Samus, she--"

"All right, I get it," said Marth hurriedly. "It's just that you're a kid, you know. You need to hang out with kids your age. Like Nana, Pop, Ness…Kirby, Purin."

"Those kids are _loud_," hissed Link. "And I hate loud."

"Right…" Marth looked up. "It's just…I worry about you. That's all."

"Well, don't worry about me," sighed Link, though he smiled at that. "I feel weird when you worry."

"Like when Zelda worries about you."

"Nobody needs to worry about me," said Link. "So…just calm down. Okay?"

"Well…all right. How about, in a few hours, after breakfast is done, you and I go do some more training?" suggested Marth.

"Sure… I'd like that."  
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**Short chappie…Sorry, really! I've been a little busy as of late, but by this weekend, like Friday or Saturday, I should be able to freely type more! So, I hope to see you all again! And thanks for reading! Don't forget to review now! **


	5. Chapter 5

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Moving plot along? Or are we gonna see more fluffy?

**A/N: **The fluff IS moving the plot along! Jeez! -laughs nervously- Anyway, Let's carry on!

**Chapter Four: Change of Partners  
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Roy put his dishes away, and glanced out the open door at Zelda, who had long given up on trying to awaken Lee. _Maybe Marth's right…I--I should try._ He sighed and walked over to Zelda. "Um…Zelda?" he asked.

"Hmm? Yes, Roy?" Zelda looked up at Roy, making the redhead's heart go pitter-pat.

_Oh! I get so nervous when she looks at me…_ Roy smiled in what he hoped was a friendly way and said, "Would you like…to…er… Would you like to be partners with me for the upcoming tournament?"

"Partners? You and I?" asked Zelda.

"Ah! Of course, if you already have a partner, then that's fine with me!" stammered Roy. "Please, uh…!"

"Roy, Roy, please calm down," smiled Zelda. "Lee here is too tired to be my partner, so I'll gladly be yours."

"…really? Just like that?"

"Of course," nodded Zelda. "I never lie to anybody." She looked down a little guiltily. _I can tell that you're trying to get closer to me…After all, you lost memory of what happened two years ago…but I still…_

"All right then!" laughed Roy. "Let's train later on, okay? I'll meet you wherever you'd like to train."

"The Battlefield is my favorite spot," said Zelda, smiling up at Roy. "I'll meet you there this afternoon."

"Okay," agreed Roy. "See you then." he strolled to the entertainment room dreamily, and slumped down next to Marth.

"You certainly look more cheerful," said Marth. "Did you do it?"

"Yes! I asked Zelda to be my partner, and she agreed!" said Roy happily. "I always wanted to be her partner!"

"I'm happy for you," said Marth.

"What about you? Who's your partner this time?" asked Roy curiously.

"Hmm…Link is."

"Again?" Roy looked surprised. "Wow, I didn't know that you two got along so well… Isn't he the antisocial one? How did you get to be partners with him."

"I asked, and he agreed," said Marth. _That much is true._

"I see…Well, I'd better get ready!" said Roy excitedly. "I'll be training hard with Zelda! So you better be ready to lose!"

"I'm glad you're so confident," said Marth with a smirk. "Can't wait to battle you, too!"

Link leaned his head back against the couch as Roy left.. "He's stronger than you, and Zelda's stronger than me. So maybe I'll take care of Roy, and you Zelda."

"I'll still be here," said Marth. "Remember," he added quietly, "I will rescue you this time."

"You'd better," said Link, standing up. "I'll be in my room real quick. Meet me at…the Fountain of Dreams, again."

"You like that stage," said Marth, nodding. "Of course I'll meet you there."

Link smiled and went upstairs to his room.

**Link's POV**

_It's really strange. We've been together for about 2 years now… Surely, by now, SOMEONE has noticed how we feel for each other. Or maybe they're just clueless… Or maybe we've been hiding it so well. Nobody needs to know that we're together, but still…it doesn't have to be a secret, does it?_

_It shouldn't matter that I love him…and it shouldn't matter that he feels the same, as well. But…to myself…I'm afraid of what'll happen if someone finds out. It's a silly thing to be afraid of, I know, but still… I don't want to be torn apart for no reason. Maybe…someone else here DOES know, and they won't say._

_Zelda is a sharp one. I'm sure even SHE has noticed. And if she hasn't…well, then this relationship is hidden better than I thought._

**Downstairs, 3PO**

Marth glanced over at the kids, and saw that they were in deep discussion of something. "Hmm…I wonder what they're talking about…?"

Nana looked back at Marth, and back at the group. "Guys, he's watching us," she said quietly.

"Oh…then this isn't the best place to meet, huh?" asked Kirby.

_Meet?_ thought Marth. _Oh, dear, what could those kids be planning this time? Those little mischief makers…_

"Exactly, cause everyone will hear what we're up to," said Popo.

"And we don't want that," said Nana.

"And we really don't want that," agreed Popo.

"Then we'll go somewhere else," said Ness.

"What are you kids planning?" asked Peach, crossing her arms.

"Oh, nothing, Peach!" said all the kids in unison, smiling innocently.

Marth smiled and shook his head. _Well, it's none of my affair, I'll go wait for Link at the Fountain of Dreams._ With that, he left.

Link at that same moment left this room and went downstairs, scowling in distaste as he heard all the loud and chatty voices of the Smashers conversing at once. _Can't they ever just keep quite for once?_ he thought. He was about to head for the portal when Samus tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Link," Samus said..

"Hah…!" gasped Link, whirling around. "What…? Oh, Samus…"

"Do you know where Marth is? I was looking for him, he promised to be my partner this coming tournament," she said.

"He did?!" Link looked surprised. "When…when did this happen?"

Samus blinked. "He said so himself last week, when he and I placed a bet on a battle between Captain Falcon and Roy. He lost, so he has to be my partner this coming tournament." She tilted her head a little. "Why are you so shocked? Were you planning on asking him to be your partner?"

"Uh…No…" Link frowned and looked down at his feet. "I'll…go find him for you, I think I know where he went."

"All right then," said Samus. "When you find him, tell him to come get me. I'll be waiting in the entertainment room."

"Right…" Link barely paid any attention as Samus walked away. _Oh…! Why am I acting so foolish?!_ thought Link, shaking his head. _It's not that big a loss… I could find another partner…_

"Hey, Link, are you gonna stand there staring at space forever or what?" asked Falco, bringing Link out of his reverie. "You're blocking the portal."

"Oh…sorry… I was just thinking." Link stepped onto the Portal and called, "Fountain of Dreams!"

Marth jumped and looked back. "Oh…! Link! Are you…what's wrong?"

"…you never told me…" started Link quietly.

"What?" asked Marth, standing up and walked up to Link. "What do you mean?"

"You promised to be partners with Samus," said Link, not looking up at Marth. "She's waiting for you in the entertainment room…"

"Promise…?" repeated Marth. He gasped. "Oh…! _Sou! _I completely forgot! I lost a bet with Samus, and had to be her partner for the next tournament!"

"How could you forget something that important?" demanded Link, looking up at Marth angrily. "It…It may sound silly, but I feel crushed that you already have a partner! When you promised to rescue ME in the first place!" he looked down, fury and embarrassment making him go a little red. "I feel almost…rejected."

"Link…I--I'm sorry," stammered Marth. "I didn't think that you'd take it like this… Indeed, I even forgot my promise to Samus…"

"Forget it," said Link, shaking his head. "I'm just overreacting, that's all. It shouldn't matter to me that you already have a partner. Please, Marth," said Link, looking up at the swordsman with a sheepish smile. "Don't feel so bad."

"…okay, then," said Marth. "If you say so." he smirked. "Could it be that you were feeling…jealous?"

"Wha--Jealous?!" repeated Link. "Don't be ridiculous! Why would I have any reason to be jealous!"

Marth laughed. "I'm glad the tension's gone. But really, don't feel bad that I forgot something. After all…" Marth bent down and hugged Link. "You're my true partner, heart to heart. Remember?"

"O-of course I remember!" Link blushed a little. "Come on, you know I hate being hugged…"

"You get rosy-red when you get hugged! It's so adorable!" said Marth happily.

"I don't get rosy red!" wailed Link, who was indeed blushing even harder. "Come on, enough touchy feely stuff! I have a new partner to find, and you, go fulfill your promise to Samus! _Chu_!"

Marth released Link. "_Chu_?" he repeated. "Someone has been teaching you how to speak like a Japanese mouse. I'll see you later." he kissed Link on the cheek and left the stage.

"…sigh…I'm so stupid…" said Link to himself, putting a hand on his cheek. "Why was I ever worried about it? It's…not a big loss. I can get a new partner…I suppose…but who will be my partner?" Link stood still, and decided to randomly ask the first person he saw to be his partner.

The person he crashed into was none other than Falco. "Ooh! Hey, watch it, Link!" said Falco. "Yeesh!"

"F-Falco?" asked Link, rubbing his head. _Uh…I suppose I'd better ask him to be my partner…it can't be that hard…_ "Weren't you gonna go to the Portal?"

"I was, but I realized that I forgot to bring my gun," said Falco, lifting his gun. "I was about to head in when I ran, quite literally, thank you, into you."

"I see…uh…" Link looked down. _Oh, what's wrong with me…? Why am I acting so shy around people recently? I'm not a shy person!_ He looked back up at Falco. "Do you want to be partners in this upcoming tournament?"

Falco stared in surprise, dropping his gun. "Either…Either my ears have gone whacko, or you have just _asked_ me to be your partner."

"Why is that a surprise?" asked Link, crossing his arms. "I'm just asking if you want to be partners."

"It's just that you're so antisocial, I'm surprised you actually approach people and ask them to be your partner," said Falco, picking his gun up. "You remind me of Fox sometimes, you know."

"Of Fox?" asked Link, confused. "How do I remind you of a kitsune?"

"Your personalities," said Falco with a shrug. "Fox doesn't have very many friends, you know."

"And you're the exact opposite, Falco, you talk a lot," sighed Link. "Just answer my question: will you be my partner or not?"

"All right, I will!" said Falco. "Sheesh, can't a guy talk around here?"

"You…are gonna be my partner, just like that?" asked Link in surprise.

"Why not? I don't have a partner," said Falco. "And I've never paired with a swordsman before. So I wonder how this partnership will go."

"I see…What stage were you headed for?" asked Link. "I'll go, too."

"I was gonna go to Corneria, if you can image such originality. Come on, then, since you want to train right now," said Falco, stepping past Link to the Portal.

"Oh, wait!" Link stood in with him.

Marth watched them vanish. _Hmm…It's strange seeing him partnered with someone else…But I suppose nothing bad is gonna come out of this._ With a firm nod, he walked over to Samus. "Um, Samus… Remember our bet?"

Samus looked up from watching Fox, DK, and Captain Falcon playing Mario Kart Double Dash!! and nodded. "I was beginning to think you have forgotten."

"Eh…nearly," said Marth guiltily.

"Well, enough stalling then," said Samus, standing up. "We have training to do, no? Come on; we have to win this tournament."

"Right," agreed Marth, and followed Samus to the Portal. _It's okay like this,_ he thought. _Even if we have to fight each other…It'll be like training. Yeah._  
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**Thus endeth chapter 4! Glad you still here! Don't forget to leave a review now! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **This is sweetness. But are we gonna see the jealous party soon?

**A/N: **AAH! Not out loud! Now they'll KNOW that something is up! Ooh, shoot, Disclaimer! Sigh…well…there you go. Idiot Disclaimer have something away…but I'll say no more on this subject! MY LIPS ARE SEALED! -seals lips- Mmph mmph!

**Chapter Five: Mischievous Plans  
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Present Day, 3PO**

Link quickly jumped to dodge the shots Falco was firing at him. _Wow…! Falco is fast! I've never battled one-on-one with him before…_ Link looked around. _The Kokiri Sword won't be enough to defeat him…_

"Hey, Link, quit dithering in Lala land!" called Falco. He was tossing a Bob-omb in his hand…wing. "Otherwise…" and he tosses it at Link, who realized it too late. Whoopsie.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh…." Link's scream became fainter as he twirled about in the sky, finally becoming a star.

Falco dusted his (I'll just call them hands anyway) hands off. "Quick, but gives his opponent too much time to think."

Link came back on the revival port. "O-Ow…" he muttered, standing up. "That was dirty…"

"Catching your foe off guard IS a little dirty," agreed Falco. "But it works. Better then the enemy coming up to you and killing you when your back is turned."

"I know…" Link hopped off the revival pad and shook himself. "Well, I'm ready this time! Come on, Let's charge again!"

"Right now?" asked Falco lazily. "We've been training for many hours now, Link…don't you think it's time for a break?"

"Uh…right…" Link glanced away. _Marth and I would go train elsewhere for many, many hours…_

"If it's all right with you, I'd like to stop for today," said Falco. "We can train more tomorrow. But it's dinner time, and…"

"All right, okay," said Link. "I suppose that's best…" Link looked up at the sky. _Marth…whenever you and I trained together…it was never actually training. We were never trying to _attack_ each other…training was something else…_

**Flashback, about 2 years ago…Link's POV**

_I remember that day…it was the first time Marth saw me cry. Oh, how embarrassed I was. It was a silly reason, really. That I'm too afraid to make friends. "What if I lose them?" "What if they start disliking me all of a sudden?" "What if I see them as a friend, but they don't see me as a friend?" Doubts such as these always went through my mind, and prevented me from making any friends._

_But I wanted a friend more than anything else…I'm weak in ways like this. Too weak to try. I came to the Fountain of Dreams, and tried to decide what to do. If I really wanted friends. After all, I barely know these people here. But when I got to know them…would they like me? Not many people know this, but I'm a true softy. Seriously. I cry. What does that make me, to admit such a thing?_

_Well…that's what happened. I cried a little, and Marth happened to come to the same stage and see me crying._

**3PO**

Link sat against a tree, hugging himself closer, and he was crying a little. Which is what he does from time to time. Being only 10 years old, that is young for an elf. Were he a human, he'd be younger than all the kids here. Hard to believe huh.

He wiped his eyes and shook his head. _I'm so stupid…why am I so scared? I have no reason to be…_

"Link?" asked a voice.

"…? What…?" Link looked up to see the concerned face of Marth looking down at him. "Oh…Marth…"

"What happened? Are you hurt? Did someone say something mean to you?" asked Marth, bending down to Link's level.

"N-No, nothing's wrong," stammered Link, trying to wipe his tears away.

Marth saddened, and pulled out a little blue hankie, handing it to Link. "But you're crying, Link," he said softly. "And crying is not nothing."

"…" Link took the blue hankie, clenching it tightly. "Marth, c-can I confide in you something really foolish?"

"Something foolish? What do you mean?" asked Marth.

"I'm too afraid to make friends…" started Link quietly, using the hankie to cover one eye.

"Too afraid to make friends…? Are the others mean to you?"

"No…it's me ignoring them." Link sighed. "I sometimes hear of friendships that never last, of friendships that aren't really friendships. I've been used once. Used by someone who told me they were my friend."

"Who was this friend?" Marth sat down next to Link, never taking his eyes off of Link's face.

But Link just shook his head. "No-one I want to remember! I've been used in many smaller ways, too… I don't want to be used again…"

"Link…" Marth looked up at the sky. "I understand how you feel."

"Eh…?" Link looked up at Marth in surprise. "Y-You do?"

"Yes…It wasn't more like being used. It was being betrayed. You're afraid of betrayal, aren't you?"

"…" Link looked down and didn't answer.

"Link, it's natural to have these fears after having gone through such trials," said Marth. "They're hard obstacles to overcome. You say you have been used and betrayed many times; no heart would forgive easily after having gone through such vicious betrayal."

"But I shouldn't be feeling this way," hissed Link. "But I'm not very strong… Just thinking about it…how it feels, it makes me…" he bit his lip and looked away. "How you must think of me…how pathetic I am…"

"Not at all!" said Marth. "I would never think that about you, and you know it." Marth softened his eyes and pulled Link closer in a loving hug.

"…!" Link blushed a little. "M-Marth…?"

"I see you, Link," he said softly. "Link…the one I love. And if you need to let any sadness out, then please…release it. No-one will know except us…"

"Marth…I…" Link clenched the hankie in his hand and clenched onto Marth, releasing any anxiety and fear, all emotion, as tears, onto Marth. "N-never let go of me!" he cried. "Never…!"

"I will never let go," promised Marth, and tightened his hug a little more comfy. He gently stroked Link's head as the young elf cried onto him, and together, they shared their first tender moment…

**Present Day, 3PO**

Link stepped out of the Portal, and was about to head for his room when he stopped, remembering what happened two years ago. _I was too scared for two years…_ he thought. He glanced back at the kids nervously. _But I haven't the first clue on how to talk to anyone…what would I say? _Link sighed sadly and muttered to himself, "No matter how ready I say I am…I'll never be ready…"

"Link?" asked Zelda.

"Mm…? Zelda?" Link stopped. "Zelda, what is it?"

"Uh…Do you know where Marth is?"

"Marth?" asked Link in surprise. "Why do you want to see Marth?"

"I just need to--to ask him something," said Zelda.

"He went with Samus somewhere to train," said Link, looking away. "I don't know where…"

Zelda sighed. "Well…then I suppose it can wait…Oh…" she stepped in front of Link suddenly. "Somehow, I think you'll do, Link."

"Eh…me…?" Link looked up in shock at Zelda. "What are you…?"

"Just…come with me really quick," said Zelda. "I think I've just figured something out, and I need Marth to clarify it. And somehow…" without saying another word, Zelda turned and headed upstairs.

"What…? Zelda, wait!" called Link, following her.

Marth came out of the Portal at that moment and saw Link rushing up the stairs. "Oh…I wonder what's going on…?" he shrugged and headed for the dining room. "I wonder what's for dinner…"

All the kids gathered around s well, sitting in their assigned spots. "I'm hungry!" wailed Kirby. "I want something to eat."

"You _always_ want something to eat!" said Popo. "When are you NOT hungry?"

Kirby thought about it. "Uhm…the hour after eating, I suppose…"

_They get along so well_, thought Marth, _I wonder how Link thinks he WON'T get a long with them. Probbaly because they are louder and more talkative than he is…_ he looked up at the ceiling with a smile. _I was suddenly remembering that day…when I saw him crying…_ the smile got replaced with an uncertain grimace. _I want him to cry on me again…_

"Hey, Marth!" Roy cheerfully sat down next to Marth, playing with his glove absentmindedly.

"You certainly look cheerful," remarked Marth, taking his mind of his rather creepy thoughts. "What happened to you?"

"Guess what Zelda said to me?" asked Roy in a voice barely beyond a whisper, so Marth had to lean in close to hear.

"Well, pray, what did she say?"

"She said, 'I think you and are beginning to develop a strong and beautiful relationship. I hope I can rely on you'!" Roy finished the last part with an excited high-pitched squeal.

Marth raised an eyebrow. "I see. And you think she was putting the moves on you? She could've been being friendly."

"Oh, don't ruin my fantasy," sighed Roy dreamily, leaning one head on Marth's shoulder. "Heh heh…Zelda…"

"Yes, I do love teasing you," said Marth. "You act like a kid sometimes."

"Oh…do I?" asked Roy, sitting up straight. Marth nodded. "Hmm…" Roy put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose so… What if I acted more mature?"

"Well, don't destroy yourself trying to impress the one you love," laughed Marth. "I think Zelda would like you the way you are."

"You think so?" asked Roy happily. Then he saddened a little and looked towards the entertainment room, where Lee was chatting very enthused with Mario about something. "But she loves…him, doesn't she?"

Marth looked between Roy and Lee. _Hmm…I don't think it's fair that I'm the only happy one of the two of us. _He looked up at the ceiling. _Two years ago, I avoided telling Roy about his failed attempt to win Zelda's heart…was I wrong to do that?_ he glanced at Roy again.

"Well…I'll go see how dinner's doing," said Roy cheerily, standing up. "After all, it won't cook by itself, and I wanted to try a new recipe!"

"I'll have Dr. Mario on stand by," teased Marth.

"Man, Marth, you're such a jerk sometimes," said Roy in mock sadness, melodramatically swaying to the kitchen.

_Kowai Roy-chan…_ Marth glanced over at Lee again. _I don't know what he'd do if Zelda started to fall for Roy instead…_ he looked up at the ceiling. _But if my memory serves…Zelda had started to warm up to Roy a little…_ Marth smirked to himself. "And what if she still did?"

Link had still hurried after Zelda, and met with her in her room. "Zelda… you had better have a good reason for dragging me all the way out here… to your room… for something important."

Zelda sat on her bed, looking down at the covers uncertainly. "Link, remember what happened two years ago? You know…with Roy getting amnesia?"

Link nodded slowly. "Yes… Dr. Mario call Roy's memory loss 'retrograde amnesia', didn't he? Roy couldn't remember some things that happened in the past."

"I know. Roy doesn't remember my rejecting him." Zelda glanced away a little guiltily. "I can somehow sense that you and Marth must be good friends or something. When you see him again could you tell him… Tell him to tell Roy that Zelda said she regrets rejecting him."

"…" Link put a hand on his head. "Hold on… Tell Marth to tell Roy that you said you regret rejecting him…?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"…" Link lowered the arm in shock. "Are you saying that…you _like_ Roy now?!" Zelda lowered her head and didn't answer. "Wait, wait," said Link, holding out his hands palms spread. "You decide NOW of all times to decide you _like_ him!?"

"Well, no, that's not what I'm saying!" said Zelda defensively, looking up at Link. "I'm just saying that I regret rejecting him. That doesn't mean I like him."

"That's just confusing to me…" Link rubbing his head. "But I'll tell Marth what you said. Don't worry."

"Oh…thank you, Link," sighed Zelda, laying back in her bed.

"Er…you coming down for dinner?" asked Link.

"No…I'll think things over…" Zelda rolled to her side. "Go on now, hurry."

Link left the room, and leaned against Zelda's door. _I wonder…would Zelda ever change her mind…?_ Link shrugged it off. _Well, whatever. It's certainly no hardship to go see Marth again._

Marth turned the corner and bumped right into Link. "Oof!"

"Oh!" Link winced and looked up. "Marth…ouch…"

"I'm sorry!" said Marth. "I didn't notice you were coming right down the stairs." he helped Link up. "I was just coming to get you. Were you with Zelda?"

"Yes…I have a message from her. She said that you should tell him…uh… 'I regret rejecting you'."

"Oh… Does she now?" asked Marth, looking up the stairs.

Link looked between the stairs and Marth. "Do you know something I don't? What's with that secret-like expression on your face?"

"Is anybody looking now?" asked Marth, looking around.

"I don't think so, they're all gathering to the dining room," said Link.

"Good, let me offer a distraction," said Marth, taking Link by the chin and giving him a kiss.

Link staggered a little dizzily when Marth released him. "Di-Distraction…" he stammered. "Uh…I'll be in the trophy room," he said, red.

Marth smiled to himself as he watched Link vanish. _Is he asking me to follow him? To somewhere so private?_ _Oh, Marth, you're so naughty!_ he though to himself as he followed Link to the trophy room.  
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**Heh heh…I am naughty…  
Mario: **Ew, you're drooling…  
**I am? …no I'm not! Shoo!  
Mario: **Eep! -runs-  
**Sigh. I know I implied something like yaoi there, but I promise, they're relationship won't go beyond hugs and kisses.  
Link: **Molestation?  
**Are you sounding hopeful? This fanfic is about YOU, you know!  
Link: **I know. I want to torment you. After all, that's YOUR hubby fondling me there.  
…**whatever. -notices readers- …Ahhaha! Hello! Sorry, I'm a little tired and disoriented right now…sorry if the top and bottom blah made no sense…**

**Are you enjoying the story thus far? I know you are! So to prove it, leave a review! Okay? Okay! See you again! Bye! **


	7. Chapter 7

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **The tournament is this coming…June 12th. I hope we can get the tournament posted on time.

**A/N: **Yes. And by then, the jealous party will be revealed! Really! So, for now, let's continue on with the story!

**Chapter Six: Ready to Fight  
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The list of tournament pairings was up. The list read as this:

**Tournament Pairings **

**Round 1 **

**Link/Falco VS Marth/Samus (Fountain of Dreams)**

**Zelda/Roy VS Peach/Ganondorf (Great Bay)**

**Ness/Pichu VS Mario/Dr. Mario (Corneria)**

**Bowser/Donkey Kong VS Jigglypuff/Luigi (Battlefield)**

**Pikachu/Kirby VS Fox/Captain Falcon (Mute City)**

**Game & Watch/Mewtwo VS Yoshi/Ice Climbers (Pokemon Stadium)**

**Lee is to referee fights and watch carefully that no-one breaks the tournament's rules. He is also a stand-by if one half of a pairing wishes to skip a battle, except for the first round.**

All the Smashers had gathered and read the board. Then Mario scoffed and put his arms akimbo. "Peach-a, you lied to me. You said that-a Samus was gonna be your partner-a!"

Peach sighed. "I said that, Mario, so you wouldn't ask me to be your partner. I'm always your partner, and I wanted to battle with somebody else."

"WAAAAH!!" wailed Mario. "I'm topped by an evil Gerudo king!"

Zelda put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. _Roy and I are going to face Peach and Ganondorf in battle… I've never battled alongside Roy before. This ought to be interesting. I will do my best. _She looked down and Link and tilted her head a little in surprise. "Link? What's wrong?"

Link stared in shock at the board. _Marth and I have to fight each other in the upcoming tournament…? _He frowned. _Isn't that just the luck…? Well…I don't want to fight him, so I guess I'll attack Samus instead…_

"Link? Link?" said Zelda, waving a hand over Link's face.

"Wha…?" Link looked up. "Oh, Zelda."

"Are you okay? You looked so surprised for a second there," said Zelda. She glanced at the board at who Link would be fighting with along with Falco.

_Oh, no…! Zelda's getting that shrewd gleam in her eyes!_ thought Link with a quick panicked gasp. _Of all the Smashers here, I certainly don't want HER to find it out! _"Ah hah ha!" laughed Link, trying to sound cheerful. "I wasn't looked surprised at all, Zelda! I am just eagerly awaiting the upcoming tournament! So, if you'll excuse me!" With that, Link hurriedly took off upstairs.

Marth watched him run, and looked back at the board. _So, against all odds, we're decided upon to go fight each other in the first round… I certainly have no intentions of fighting Link, so…_

"Hey, Marth, we have no time to lose!" said Samus. "I have a great strategy for winning, now that I see who we're up against!"

"What?" Marth glanced at Samus. "You do?"

"Of course I do! There is only one path to victory against those two," said Samus. "Come on, meet me in my room, I'll talk more then."

"But, Samus… Wait!" called Marth. But Samus was already heading upstairs to her room. He sighed. _I wonder what kind of strategy Samus has in mind…? She's obviously making herself the head honcho of the two of us…_ he followed after Samus to her room. "Where can I sit?" he asked.

"Anywhere's fine," said Samus, not looking up from her desk. "Just…let me finish here…" Samus was scribbling something down with such fury.

Marth sat down at one of Samus's beanie bags. "What are you writing?" he asked curiously.

"Our battle plans!" said Samus, whirling around from her desk's swivel chair. "Especially for first round. I have strategies for everyone, and the one we need to look up now is this: first round battle! Here, read this," she added, giving Marth a small sticky note.

"…this is my whole battle strategy?" asked Marth. "Are you serious?"

"Just unfold it and read it," said Samus, whriling back to her desk. "While I'll be dealing with Falco, all you have to do is gain up on Link."

"…" Marth unfolded the sticky note and read it. "…'_Crush Link to the dust. If swords don't work, toss him about until he can't stand'_… Are you serious?" asked Marth quietly.

"Never more serious," said Samus. "I watch people fight, you know, and learn all their weaknesses and strengths. And it just so happens that Link isn't very good against others swordsmen, such as yourself. So if you attack him mercilessly, and if I can knock out Falco a few time's victory is in our hands!"

"You must really want to win…" Marth sighed. _This is a horrible plan…but a good one as well. I wonder why she takes the time to watch fights and learn everyone's weakness…? But, could I bring myself to beat Link up?_

"Follow that plan," said Samus. "Okay? Now go on, we'll meet up at the Fountain of Dreams later on, to discuss our plans in more detail."

"_Hai…_" agreed Marth, standing up and leaving the room. He leaned against the door sadly, looking at the sticky note. _I suppose we don't have a choice… I'll do my best, that's all I can do…_ Marth walked down the hallway, then stopped. "Maybe I'll go see him…" he decided, and turned around.

Once again, he crashed into Link doing so. "Oof!" Link groaned and looked up. "That's twice in two days, maestro! You have to watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, sorry," apologized Marth worriedly. He helped Link up, and added, "I was gonna go look for you. Do you think we can talk somewhere?"

"Right now?" asked Link. He looked down and nodded. "I was looking for you anyway, so…"

The two headed downstairs together, where they met Falco. "Link, there you are," said Falco. "You disappeared so suddenly. I want to say that I'll meet you at the Fountain of Dreams later on, all right?"

"Samus and I were going to train there as well," said Marth.

"Is that right?" asked Link.

"Oh! Well, then, I guess we'll be having a practice match there, then," said Falco. "Is that all right with you, Link?"

"Well…I suppose so," said Link.

"Okay. See you then…at 7:30 tonight," said Falco.

"7:30," agreed Marth. "Could you go up and tell that to Samus?"

"Why me? I'm not her partner," said Falco.

"Since you're headed upstairs anyway…"

Falco sighed. "Eh, fine. All the same to me."

Link watched Falco go, and nodded to Marth. "The trophy room?"

"If no-one's in there, sure," said Marth, following Link to the Portal. They said together, "Trophy room! _Figure Room!_" And there they were. Link sat down on the couch with a sigh. "I know," said Marth. "I don't feel like fighting, either…"

"But we have no choice about it," said Link, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm not looking forward to fighting you…so I…"

"Link, I should say this now," said Marth sadly, showing Link the sticky note he got from Samus. "I don't know how I'm going to avoid this one. If I don't follow this, Samus will KNOW something is up. Everyone else will know, too."

"Crush me?" Link raised an eyebrow. "I don't know how you'll be able to do that… I mean, I guess we'll have to fight each other, when the time comes."

"Is that okay?" Marth looked worried. "I don't like hurting the ones I love…"

"You won't be hurting me!" insisted Link, standing up. "I'm not gonna back down in this tournament! I want to win, too. Besides, we've trained together, so we know how to fight each other!"

"Link…"

"Besides, even if you do hurt me, or even defeat me, I'm not gonna hate you for the rest of my eternal life," said Link. "So don't hold back just because you're fighting me. I'm not made entirely of cobwebs. And this is a mêlée. This is what we do best: fighting each other, whether you love them or like them or hate them."

"…" Marth sighed and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I suppose your right. I guess I do worry a little too much sometimes…"

"Well…You don't have to worry about me," said Link, looking away with a red face. "I mean…I like it when you say things like that…but still…don't…"

"Next time…I will rescue you," said Marth, standing up and hugging Link. "And why do you get so bashful whenever I talk like this?"

"Because, it's so cheesy!" yowled Link, red as a tomato now. "As much as I love hearing those words…"

Marth touched foreheads with link so the two's faces were barely an inch apart. "What? Is there anything wrong with cheesy?"

"Well…no…"

"All right then," said Marth happily. He pulled Link a little closer. "So you won't mind when I do this from now on?"

"I won't mind…" said Link quietly, looking up at Marth.

"Okay, then," said Marth, and released Link, sitting down on the couch again. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

"Eh? Why-Why are you asking like that?!" asked Link, waving his arms frantically. "You make it sound like I'm the one suggesting we do something!"

"What could we do? And what ARE you suggesting?" asked Marth with a smirk. "I wonder how it would look, if you stayed in my room…"

"Stop teasing me!" yowled Link, shaking his head frantically. "Y-You know how weird it would seem if you and I shared a room! What would people think?!"

"If they happened to hear you…cry, out, that would be a problem," said Marth. "Not that I would mind."

"Oh! You're so naughty!" Link frowned and crossed his arms, looking embarrassed. "How can you say things like that, with such a straight face?"

"I don't see why I have to be embarrassed." Marth rested one hand on his head, looking Link up and down. "But then again, you ARE just a kid…maybe you're too young for that kind of commitment…"

"T-Too young?!" repeated Link, looking around frantically. "W-What do you mean, too young?! Too young for what!?"

Marth laughed and shook his head. "You take everything way too seriously. You should know I was teasing you again!"

"But I'm not too young!" insisted Link before he could stop himself. "If you wanted to, I would have no objections whatsoever!"

"Hah ha…eh…? What?" Marth blinked in surprise. "You…have no objections?"

Link covered his mouth in shock. "Uh…I--I…"

Marth stood up slowly. "Link, do you…mean it?"

"…I…" Link looked up at Marth, and opened his mouth…

"I got a trophy, I got a trophy!" sang Luigi as he came inside the trophy room.

"So did I, so did I!" sang Mario. The two brothers stopped when they saw Link and Marth. "Hello,' said Mario pleasantly. "I hope we didn't interrupt any battle discussions or anything."

"We weren't-a gonna be here long, we were putting our-a trophies in here," said Luigi. "See, I won-a the Normal mode Adventure!"

"You…You idiot dingdong!" yelled Link angrily, pushing past the two plumbers to the Portal. "Hyrule!" he called, and vanished.

Marth sighed. "Sorry about that," he said apologetically. "But if we went to Hyrule, I can't find him now…" Marth left the portal, calling, "SSBM HQ!"

Luigi looked at Mario in shock, and Mario nodded. "You _are_ a dingdong, Luigi."

"Oh, brother, you're-a so mean!" cried Luigi, dropping his trophy and running to the Portal.

"Well…um…I'm sorry?" asked Mario, picking up Luigi's trophy, and setting both trophies on the table. He left, too.

But someone else was in the room, and when Mario left, stood up and said to themselves, "I won't be giving Link away that easily, Marth… It doesn't matter how he feels for you. I want him to feel that way about me, too, so I know exactly what to do when the time comes…"  
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**Ooh! Enter the jealous party! Who do you think it is? Well, guess away. Even if you do guess right… I WON'T TELL YOU ANYWAY! -evil laughter-**

**And sorry about the lack of updates this week… I know I said that Friday and Saturday were my free days, but…heh heh, I got a brand new Gamecube on Friday afternoon, since my old and first one died after 7 long years of commitment.**

**I'll try to update more, and my toehr stories shall rest until this one is finished! HAH HAH! So for now, don't forget to leave a review! Okay? Okay! Bye now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Well…moving on.

**A/N: **All righty! A quick note: the "Japanese" Marth will speak later on in a flashback will be in italics…I'm just not good enough at Japanese yet! Thanks for understanding… Nihongo is a hard language to learn!

Plus I made a boo-boo! The first kiss was here, not that first flashback in the fanfic! I realized my own mistake, and was too lazy to fix it…heh. I'll fix it later!

Now that that's settled…Let's go!

**Chapter Seven: Lost and Found  
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Marth's POV**

_The clock read 6:30 PM. It was another hour before Samus and I began training with Falco and Link. But I looked around the Smashers HQ. Link wasn't anywhere in sight, and according to Lee, Zelda, and Ganondorf, he wasn't in his room or anywhere else. I was worried… Why did he run off to Hyrule? Was it what happened in the Figure Room?_

_Maybe I shouldn't be doing such things to him, teasing him like that…He might think I expect something from him…Well, no matter. I have to go find him now… Could he be still in Hyrule? Can I go to Hyrule? I'm not from that world…but it would be worth a shot…_

**3PO**

Marth walked up to Zelda. "Ne, Zelda, have you seen Link still?"

"No, I haven't," said Zelda, shaking her head. "You've asked me twice already. If you want to find him so bad, go to Hyrule yourself."

"But…is that all right?" asked Marth. "I mean, I'm not from that world and all… What if someone saw me?"

"Nothing would go wrong," said Zelda. "People visit other worlds all the time. Why are you worried about it?"

"Well…thanks," said Marth, turning to walk to the Portal.

"Wait!" called Zelda suddenly.

Marth stopped and gave Zelda a sideways glance. "…yes?"

"Maybe it's just me, but… I've noticed something going on between…you and Link. Are you two…" she looked around, and said quietly, "Let's talk in Hyrule." Without waiting a reply, she walked past Marth to the Portal and called "Hyrule!"

Marth sighed. _What does Zelda want to say…?_ He followed, calling "Hyrule!" in the Portal. He looked around and spotted Zelda waiting by a tree. "Zelda…" said Marth slowly. "What did you want to say…?"

Zelda crossed her arms and considered Marth for several long minutes, her eyes searching Marth's. Finally, she uncrossed her arms. "Are you and Link in love with each other?"

"…" Marth looked away, not answering.

"Is that why you're so worried? And why you two have been seeing each other so much?" asked Zelda. "I've been noticing these things for two years now, but never thought much about it…until now, that is."

"Zelda, I…"

"Link's never liked being around anyone," continued Zelda, "before he became a Smasher. When he first came to the Headquarters, it seemed to me that he didn't really want to be there. But suddenly, on that same night, he told me that he was happy that he arrived.

"I was confused. He had this happy gleam in his eyes. I never understood what he liked about being here… Tell me, Marth…when--how did this happen?"

"I…I don't know," said Marth, looking up to meet Zelda's questioning gaze, and was relieved not to see accusing in the princess's eyes; she was merely curious. "It could've been love at first sight."

"Share the story with me," said Zelda, sitting down on the hilltop and patting the seat next to her. "Nobody else will hear us. I want to know what happened. I don't want to be left in the dark."

"All right…if you want to hear it…" Marth sat down next to Zelda, staring down at his boots. "Where should I start…?"

"At the beginning," said Zelda. "Start at the beginning."

"…all right," sighed Marth, rubbing his head. "Let me start…where it all began, after that first meeting…"

**Flashback…about 3 ½ years ago…**

"Well, being a Smasher sounds like a lot of fun," said Roy as he lead Marth back upstairs. "Don't you think so?"

"_Ee, sou desu yo,"_ agreed Marth happily. "_I'm gonna have a lot of fun here._"

"Well, I'll be relaxing if you need me," said Roy. "I noticed that you dumped everything of mine in here. I'll go fix it up later."

"_That's what you get for being lazy,_" sighed Marth, entering his own room. He lay flat on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. _That kid I met…Link, his name was Link… He's…incredibly cute._ Marth rolled to his side. _Maybe I'll go see him again._ He stood up and headed for the door, and opened it; Link stood before Marth.

His hand was raised, as though he was about to go knocking on the door. "So… You _were_ here," said Link.

"_I was…but what are you doing here?_" asked Marth. "_Did you come here to see me?_"

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Link. "I wanted to see you again…Somewhere where we can be alone."

Marth blinked. "_Be alone?_" he repeated curiously.

"Yes…I want to know you. I… Just come with me," said Link. Without another word, he turned heel and left, heading downstairs.

"…_Hmm. That is weird…But I'll go see him anyway,_" decided Marth, following Link to the Portal. "_Where are we going?_"

"That trophy room Lee mentioned…" Link seemed to be talking to himself. "We'll go there…" He unexpectedly took Marth's hand and stepped into the Portal, calling, "Trophy Room!" And there they were.

Marth looked around. "_Trophy room? There's nothing in here."_

"Marth, listen to me," said Link, turning around and looking up at Marth. "I don't want anyone to know this. What happened between us."

"_Happened?_" repeated Marth. "_Do you mean…?_"

"That is exactly what I mean!" Link looked down now, reddening at the cheeks a bit. "You know what I'm talking about."

"_I do, but… Isn't this a little sudden?"_ asked Marth. "_I mean…you're a kid, aren't you? One of those…what was it called…A forest kid…_"

"Kokiri, yes," agreed Link. "I'll never grow up."

"_But I will…slowly, yes, but I will," _said Marth. "_That doesn't…worry you?_"

"It doesn't matter," insisted Link, looking up at Marth again. "It doesn't! I won't let nothing stand in the way. We've found each other; we fit perfectly… That is what is important! Got it?"

"_Oh…I see,_" smiled Marth. _"Then if you're serious, then I can't change your mind. No-one will change mine. I'll do it._"

"Good." Link crossed his arms. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"_Good,_" repeated Marth. "_That won't do at all…_"

"Eh…? What do you mean?" Link uncrossed his arms and tilted his head in confusion. "What else do we need?"

"_A kiss,_" said Marth simply.

"Oh…!" Link looked around frantically. "A kiss? Why do we need one of those? Do you _want_ to…?"

"_If you don't mind,_" admitted Marth with a mischievous grin. "_But then again, you ARE a kid, aren't you…_"

"No, no!" Link blushed a little, but never left his gaze. "Come on, then… prove it to me! Let me…"

"_Heh…if you insist,_" said Marth. "_Just don't blame me if someone happens to see us."_

"No one will see us," promised Link. Without warning, he pulled Marth down by the collar, and pressed his lips against Marth's marking the first kiss for the couple…

**End flashback…**

Zelda took in the story with a few nods as she listened. When Marth had finished, she stared down at her own hands, deep in thought. "He came to you… You both suddenly were…"

"I told you, that's what I think it was," sighed Marth sadly. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised no one noticed our relationship until now, especially you."

"I didn't sense romance," said Zelda, "but I did sense a closeness between you two. Now I know what that closeness is, and why it got started…" she looked up at the sky. "Go get him."

"…? Me? Find Link?" asked Marth in surprise. "I wouldn't know where to begin… What if he went to that forest? From what I've heard, in this world, the forest is forbidden to outsiders…"

"You won't have to go to the forest; he's right there," said Zelda, pointing to where Link was, who was a few yards away, sitting against a tree.

"Oh…!" Marth stood up, then hesitated. "Are you sure _I_ should be the one to go talk to him?"

"I'm positive," said Zelda. "If there really IS a romance between you two, then I…" she looked away a little guiltily. "I want to see it for myself… After all, I have never…loved a human before…"

Marth stared at Zelda, unsure of what to say. _Is she…possibly thinking about Roy…? Does she want to see if Link really loves me…?_ he sighed and shook his head. "Well, I'll go talk to him now," said Marth.

"Do that," said Zelda. "I'll be right here in case something goes wrong."

_That's really reassuring,_ thought Marth to himself as he hurried over to where Link was sitting. "Link! Link, I came here to…" he trailed off.

Link had a few bottles of Châteaux Romani at his feet, and one in his hand. _"_D-Damn it…" he muttered, and took a huge drink from the bottle.

"Uhm…Link?" asked Marth uncertainly. "Are you okay…?"

"What kind of lover am I?" asked Link mournfully. "It's not love if the only thing I want is to taste his skin!"

_He's drunk…_ thought Marth. _He's afraid that he's lusting…? What happened to him? What kind of milk is this?_ He bent down to Link's level. "Link, it's me, Marth."

"Hic…M-Marth?" asked Link. "Oh…it's you…"

"That is enough," said Marth fretfully. "Come on now, before you get too drunk to think clearly…"

"Marth, I'm sorry!" wailed Link, shaking his head. "I've made you think I expect something from you…but I don't feel that way at all! I mean, I love you, but it's not lust at all! Really!"

"Link, it's all right," said Marth calmly. "I know you don't lust for me…" Marth glanced away. _Maybe _I_ was the one with lust…_

"You're here… in Hyrule," observed Link. "You followed me…? Why?"

"To get you back," said Marth, looking at Link again, holding out a hand. "Come on, I'll take you back to the Smashers HQ. Zelda will come, too."

"Zelda's here, too…?" Link took Marth's hand and stood up unsteadily, putting a hand to his head. "Oh…th-that's good…"

"Here, I'll help you," said Zelda, hurrying to the scene. "Poor kid… He gets drunk on milk, especially that Châteaux," she sighed. "I was hoping that he'd never get his hands on these again…"

"Well, for better or for worse, we'll take him back to Smashers HQ," said Marth. He held Link a little close. "He passed out…one milk too many."

"Well, that does prove it," said Zelda, half to herself. "I would like to see more of this romance…"

"What does THAT mean?" asked Marth, giving Zelda shifty-eyes. "Aren't you a naughty elf! Aren't you supposed to be a princess?"

"Wha-- I _AM_ a princess!" yowled Zelda. "Come on, Let's just go already!"

"Okay, okay," said Marth, and together, Marth and Zelda brought Link back to Smashers HQ. Returned Link to his room. After Zelda had left, Marth looked down at Link. _He's cute when he's asleep…_ thought Marth, putting a hand on Link's cheek. He gasped suddenly and backed up. _Oh..! What am I thinking?! I can't take advantage of him…what am I…_ Marth shook his head and left the room, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind.  
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**Wow. The plot thickens…or something. Hmm. Reviews!**


	9. Chapter 9

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Are we gonna see more kinky-ness in the future?

**A/N: **…what kind of question is that? You freak… '-'; Anyway, let's carry on!

**Chapter Eight: Certain Uncertainty  
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Zelda lay face first on her bed, thinking about Marth's story. _That really is something…_ thought Zelda. _Romantic, too…and so sweet. Sigh…why can't Lee and I be like that?_

_Or Roy and you?_ asked a voice in Zelda's head.

"Wha…?!" Zelda shot up. "No, I do not!" she insisted to thin air. She looked around the empty room and shook her head. "This is ridiculous… Roy is just a friend, that's all… just a friend!"

Someone knocked on her door. "Zelda? Hey?"

"Who is it?" asked Zelda with a sigh. _I'll just put Roy out of my mind for now…_

"It's me, Roy," said Roy.

"…! O-Oh!" Zelda looked around. _So much for putting him out of my mind… _"I'm coming." She opened the door and let Roy come in. "Yes, Roy, what is it?"

"Oh, it's just…" Roy looked confused for some reason, sitting down on Zelda's chair. "Marth just told me the weirdest thing."

"Did he?" Zelda sighed again. _That means Marth gave him my message…but what does he want to say…?_

"Marth told me that you told him… 'I regret rejecting you'." Roy looked up at Zelda, a small hint of hope in his eyes. "Can--Can you tell me what that means?"

"…well…Roy…" Zelda sat down on her bed. "You see, two years ago, you tried to tell me, in your own way, that you liked me…"

"What…?!" Roy stood up. "You know how I feel…?"

"Yes, I do," said Zelda with a bow of her head. "And…I sort of rejected you last year, and you were distraught. And, to me, it looked like you were thinking suicidal thoughts; you went to Cruel mêlée, you know…"

"What…? I don't…" Rot sat down again. "I tried to tell you that I liked you, but you turned me down… I tried to kill myself? How come I don't remember that?"

"According to Dr. Mario, you received a few hard blows to the head. Enough to cause you to get amnesia. Marth gave your memories back…except for my rejection."

"Why would Marth do that?" asked Roy. "H-He's my friend, he wouldn't lie to me…he…"

"I think Marth wanted to protect you." Zelda looked up at Roy. "Because I cut you so deeply… but now, he's changed his mind. He wants you to remember again."

"Then why leave it out in the first place?"

"Suppressing that memory could be dangerous to your mind," said Zelda. "So you need to remember…"

Roy stared down at his own hands and didn't say anything for several long minutes. _I don't understand… I tried to get Zelda once before…? Two years ago…?_

"If you don't remember fully…then I suppose that's okay," said Zelda.

"And this rejection of me…do you really regret it?" asked Roy.

Zelda looked away. "Roy…I…"

"Zelda, are you in here?" asked Lee, opening the door. He stopped, looking between Zelda and Roy. "Oh, I'm sorry…was I interrupting a battle strategy talk or something?"

"N-No, it's nothing!" stammered Roy. "We were just finished! So I'll go ahead and leave you two alone!" without waiting an answer, Roy hurried out of the room.

"Wow, he's a fast one," commented Lee, watching Roy run downstairs.

"Lee, what is it?" asked Zelda, falling back on her bed with another sigh.

"I wanted to know if you'd like to go train with me right now," said Lee. "Being a stand-by is no fun, cause there's a one in a million chance that someone will say 'here, take my post'… So…"

"Okay, Lee," said Zelda, sitting up. "I'll change to a different dress, so I'll meet you wherever you want to."

"All right!" cheered Lee. "How about we meet at… Kanto Skies! That place is fun!" Lee skipped off merrily.

Zelda shook her head and smiled. "Kanto Skies it is…" she stood up and opened her closet, looking at her dresses. "Which one do I want to wear…" her eyes fell to the red dress. _Oh, Roy has red hair…_ she shook herself. "I have to stop this," she said to herself. "I…can't fall for Roy, I already have someone…"

_Isn't that 'romance' more out of obligation, considering the fact that Lee saved you once?_ asked the voice in her head.

"…I-It's not that," said Zelda. "I…I _know_ I love Lee…I…"

_Then why the hesitation?_

"I'm NOT hesitating!" said Zelda out loud. "I am not wavering from my path! I-- Roy and I will never be!" she looked around the room. No-one answered. She sighed and took the red dress. _It matches my complexion somewhat… and I like the color red…_

**With Marth…**

Marth looked out his window. _I've been feeling really strange recently…_ he thought to himself. _I don't usually tease Link so much, like I have now…? What's come over me?_ he put a hand on his head. _I want to see him again right now…_

he door opened, and Link stuck his head in. "Marth?" he asked.

"Oh!" Marth whirled around. "L-Link!" he said. _I-I'm getting that feeling again… _Marth's hand twitched, and Marth clenched it to stop himself from putting a hand on Link. _I will not…do such a thing…_ "What is it, Link?"

"Uhm…" Link came inside and sat down on Marth's bed. "I wanted to say sorry for what I did…you know, running away from you and all…"

"What? Oh, that… Don't worry, that's no problem," said Marth. _He's sitting on the bed…_my_ bed…_ Marth gasped and shook his head. _No, no! I'm not going to think like this…!_

Link stared at Marth in confusion. "Marth? What's wrong?"

"No…Nothing's wrong…" said Marth, sitting down next to Link. "I'm just… I have something on my mind…"

"Oh…should I leave then?" asked Link.

"No, no stay…" Marth glanced at Link. _He's so cute…his eyes are so huge…and why is his hair messy…_ Marth winced and stood up. "I-In fact, maybe you should leave… Please, go for a little while…I need to think about something…"

"…if you say so," said Link, looking a little hurt and understanding at the same time. "I'll leave you alone, then…"

Marth glanced back, seeing Link stand and head for the door. _Now I _know_ something is up…_ thought Marth. _What is happening to me…? Who's causing this? Who could possibly be powerful enough to alter my thoughts and intentions?_ "Link!" he called suddenly.

"…?! Y-Yes, Marth?" Link looked back at Marth. "Are you not feeling well? Should I get Dr. Mario…?"

"No…I've changed my mind, I… Stay here…" Marth sat down on the bed again, putting a hand on his head. _Don't make him stay…_

"Okay, Marth, spit it out!" said Link. "What's wrong? Tell me!"

"Link…I…" Marth pointed at the door. "Check…the Smashers…someone's trying to make me…"

"Make you what?"

"Go check, please!" cried Marth. "I don't want to do anything…I don't want to force you to…"

Link tilted his head a little. "Very well…I'll go see…" he stepped out of Marth's door and looked around. _Nobody's here… But still, is someone really controlling Marth somehow…? What is going on…?_ Link came back inside. "Marth, I didn't see anybody there, and I don't sense anything."

_It's gone now…_ realized Marth, lowering his hand. _I feel normal again… What the hell was that…?_ "I see. Thanks, Link…" Marth sighed and fell back on his bed. "I'm sorry, for acting weird like that…"

"No, it's all right," said Link. "It's just…are you okay? Seriously, tell me what happened to you."

"I felt…" Marth closed his eyes, trying to recall the feeling. "I felt terrible…like I wanted to make you do something horrible…to hurt you or something… Someone was making me lust after you."

"L-Lust after me?!" repeated Link in shock. "Wh-Why would someone make you… Oh, my god! Someone tried to make you _rape_ me?!"

"That's what it felt like…" Marth sat up. "I'll find out whoever did this. It won't happen, I promise."

"Oh… I know you won't," said Link, smiling a little. "I trust you completely. And besides, even if someone did try to make you force me, I can fight! You're not that much stronger than me, and besides, someone would of heard me, right?"

"That's right." Marth sighed with relief. "That's good… Oh, Link, I'm sorry for making you worry…"

"Heh. You don't have to apologize to me," said Link. "I love you anyway, even if you _did_ manage to rape me."

"What! You naughty kid!" laughed Marth. "To say that word with a straight face! But thank you, Link. That makes me happy."

"If you're happy, then I'm happy," said Link, walking to Marth and giving him a hug. "If it makes you happy, then it'll surely make me happy."

Marth was about to return the hug, but hesitated for a second. _That feeling again…_ he shook it off and hugged Link back. "Don't make this one-sided, Link. I'll do the exact same for you, okay? We both ought to be happy."

"Hmm. You're right," said Link. He kissed Marth's cheek and headed for the door. "Training's in fifteen minutes, with Samus and Falco," he reminded Marth. "Don't be late."

"I won't, I'll be there," said Marth. "I'll just change into different outfit."

"Why do you need to change outfits?" asked Link. "You look good in blue."

"But I look even better in black," said Marth with a wink. "You'll be so distracted by how I look."

"We shall see!" said Link determinedly. "Bring it on!" with a nod, Link left, closing the door behind him.

Marth sighed. "It's strange," he said to himself, heading for his closet. "I wonder who's making me feel that way. I certainly don't WANT to rape Link or anything… I never did!" he looked up at the ceiling. "But someone here obviously does… but why? I guess only time will tell…"  
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**Well, there you go, chapter 8 for you. Kinda short, but look at the time! As I type/post this fanfic, it's around 2 AM! I'M TIRED!  
Mario: **Then sign off and let's call it a night.  
**Link: **But it's just getting good…come on now…  
**Zelda: **You're a kid, you shouldn't be enjoying the thought of molestation!  
**Quiet, Muses, before you give the plot away!  
Muses: **Oh! Sorry!  
**T-Try to disregard what those idiot Muses said! HAHHAAHHAHAH! ANYWAY!! Don't forget to leave a review now! Huh? Huh? Anyone, review! Okay, good, so go click on the review button and drop me a line… AUGH! 2:38 AM… I go beddy-bye! -falls asleep on keyboard-**


	10. Chapter 10

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Ness the jealous party, huh? …unlikely.

**A/N: **That's what I said, Disclaimer. Let them guess away! The jealous party WILL make himself known on June 12th. That is all for spoilers! Now Let's continue the story!

**Chapter Nine: Push Became Shove, and Became Held Down Too  
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"We're back-a with all the food-a!" announced Mario, stepping out of the Portal with Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. "Don't-a thank us or anything."

"Only 6 more days to wait until the tournament comes," said Luigi, looking at the calendar.

"About time, you know," said Falco, taking the bags of food to help put them away. "Master Hand was a little late in bringing the food over, wasn't he?"

"It doesn't matter," said Roy. "The food's here, and that's all that matters."

"But what about when the new Smashers come?" asked Nana. "We only have enough food for the 26 of us. What will we do when the newbies come?"

"I have an update from Master Hand," said Peach. "They won't be here until August. All of the new Smashers will be there as well. They'll come with us to our summer home."

"I see," said Popo. "So what's for dinner tonight?"

"It's Marth's day to make dinner," said Roy. "But I haven't seen him since yesterday…"

"He came to training with me and Falco and Link," said Samus. "But after training, he went up to his room."

"Really?" asked Roy. "I wonder if he's all right…"

From his post behind the couch, Link raised his head a little. _Marth hasn't come out of his room…? That's odd…Maybe I'll go see him…_ Link stood up and headed for the stairs.

"Link," said Zelda.

Link stopped and looked back. "…Zelda. What is it?"

"You're going to go see Marth, aren't you?" Zelda looked up the stairs, and looked around. "Marth told me everything," she said quietly.

"What…!"

"I won't tell anyone, though," promised Zelda. "I just wanted to tell you, be careful around him."

"Be careful? What do you mean?"

"There's hostility, Link." Zelda looked over her shoulder, and said quietly still, "Someone here might have found out, too…and might tell everyone."

"What are you saying?" Link shook his head. "I don't understand."

"I'm not too sure myself, but…that's what I feel."

"Zelda, are you…are you saying that someone is…"

"Zelda! There you are!" said Mario. "If I-a remember, its-a your turn to make dessert tonight-a! You up for it?"

"Dessert…" Zelda sighed. "Right, of course Mario. I'll be there later. Any requests? Go check and see what the rest of the Smashers want."

"Okey-dokey!" said Mario cheerfully, hurrying off.

"Tell me later, Zelda. I'm gonna go check Marth now," said Link, turning around and heading upstairs.

"Oh…wait… He's not listening…" Zelda walked to the entertainment room and flopped onto the couch. _I wonder what will happen now…? Who could possibly try to break Link and Marth apart? How far will this person go?_

"Ness, quit hogging the lane!" yowled Pichu. "I'm trying to win here!"

"Yeah, so am I!" yowled Ness.

Zelda glanced at the two. _Ness has incredible power… Him and his PSI are potentially dangerous when he uses it hostile…But Ness is a kid too,_ reflected Zelda. _It can't be him…_

"Mewtwo, come join us!" called Jigglypuff, who sat down next to Pichu with controller in hand.

"_I'm not going to join you, those games are a waste of time,_" said Mewtwo, rolling his eyes. "_Only kids enjoy those games."_

"If you think about it, you're pretty much a kid yourself," said Jigglypuff. "I mean, how many years ago were you created?"

"_That's a touchy subject, in case you failed to notice,_" said Mewtwo angrily.

"Oh…sorry."

Zelda sighed. _It possibly can't be Mewtwo…Sure, he doesn't like humans, but I don't think he has any kind of romantic thoughts inside him… Maybe in his own world, but not here…_

"Peach-a! Tell Mario to stop calling me a dingdong-a!" wailed Luigi, tugging on Peaches dress like a little kid.

"Luigi, you have to stand firm and be a man!" Peach sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm not your mother, you know! If you want Mario to stop, then tell him yourself!"

_Hmm…Peach has power from the Stars, in her world…Incredible power, for there are many, many stars…_ Zelda watched Peach drag a bawling Luigi back upstairs. _But as far as I can tell…_

"MARIO!" screeched Peach. "Come here right now and apologize to your brother! Look at him, he's pathetic!"

"But, Peach-a!" protested Mario. "You just-a said it! My brother is a pathetic-a dingdong!"

"Dingdong!" wailed Luigi.

"Mario!" groaned Peach, putting a hand on her face. "I really don't have time for this…you two aren't kids anymore!"

_…Peach is obviously in love with Mario,_ thought Zelda. _Besides, she's never striked me as the pedophile type…_ she blinked, feeling embarrassed suddenly. _How much older am I than Roy? I'm over 1,000 years old, and he's 21!_

"Zelda," said a voice behind Zelda.

"Waugh!" Zelda hopped off the couch and looked behind her. "G-Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf laughed like crazy, pointing at Zelda. "Got ya good, Zelda! You were all spaced out in Lala land! I could've killed you, and you'd never have noticed!"

"Ooh…! You know better to disturb me when I'm deep in thought!" yowled Zelda. "You're so immature! Why not act like the evil king that you are?!"

"Cause I'm not that evil king anymore? What can I say, Zelda? I've changed my ways." Ganondorf crossed his arms. "Surely, you'd be happy at such a change. Unless you _want_ me to be an evil king. I have no qualms about trapping you in a crystal…"

"No, it's fine!" said Zelda hurriedly. "I'm glad you've changed…" she trailed off. _Ganondorf is indeed a powerful sorcerer… Is it possible that _he_ is the jealous party? Hmm…No…that's ridiculous… Something like this isn't Ganondorf's style…_

"Zelda? Zelda?" Ganondorf waved a hand over Zelda's face.

"Hmm…What…?" Zelda blinked.

"You spaced out again. Something on your mind? Like something serious?" asked Ganondorf. "You don't usually space out."

"Sorry, Ganondorf… I was just… I had something on my mind… I'll be upstairs if you need me." Without waiting an answer, Zelda walked past Ganondorf up the stairs. _I need to think about this…_

That was when a yell was heard.

Zelda stopped. "…!? Wh-What was that…?"

"What's going on?" asked Peach, walking up to Zelda.

"It sounded like it came from…"

"That was Marth's voice!" said Roy, who had come up the stairs.

"What's going on?" asked Fox from downstairs.

Suddenly, Marth burst out of his room and ran past everyone. "_Sumimasen!_" he gasped as he pushed past Roy.

"M-Marth?!" Roy looked down the stairs. "What are you doing…?"

"Marth!" Link hurried out of the room and stopped at the stairs. "Marth! What's wrong! Tell me!" he gave chase as Marth disappeared into the Portal.

"What's this…?" Fox watched Link disappear. "What the hell was that? What's going on?"

Zelda looked between Marth's room and the stairs. _That's what I want to know…_

"Did Link just chase after Marth?" asked Captain Falcon. "Was that the commotion?"

All the Smashers started muttering amongst themselves about this strange event. Peach was about to follow Mario and Luigi downstairs, but caught the thoughtful look on Zelda's face. She waited for everyone to be gone, then asked quietly, "Penny for your thoughts, Zelda?"

"Hmm?" Zelda looked up, then down again. "No…nothing…"

"Come now! You know something!" insisted Peach. "What's going on here? What was that little commotion?"

"I…I don't know," said Zelda.

"You're being so secretive…" Peach frowned a little. "Well, now that I know something's up, I'll just have to go find out myself! And you know I will, Zelda. So save me the trouble of endless research, and tell me what's going on!"

"…I suppose there's no point in trying to hide something from you," sighed Zelda. "I suppose it'll be all right to tell you…"

"Well, then Let's go to my room!" said Peach. "Nobody will bother us in there!" Peach took Zelda by the arm and took her to her room.

Zelda looked around. "It's…so pink in here. I think I'll go blind…"

"Never mind the pink-ness," said Peach. She flopped belly-first on her bed and gestured to the pink beanie bags on the floor. "Come on, tell me."

"Okay…" Zelda sat down on the pink beanie and looked up at Peach. "You promise you won't tell anyone?" she asked. "I didn't want to betray Marth's confidence, but I know I can trust you. Right?"

"Hey, I swear by the Stars," said Peach. "Trust me."

"Okay…" So Zelda told Peach the entire story, the same one Marth told her. From that first kiss, to Zelda's own interpretations of this, and to the mysterious presence of this unknown jealous party. "…and they're trying to break Marth and Link up, by forceful means if necessary," finished Zelda.

Peach took the story in with several nods. "I…I see…" she sat up, and hugged a pink peach cushion thoughtfully. "Marth and Link…are in love with each other?"

"Yes," agreed Zelda with a nod.

"I see… There's an obviously huge age difference, but they stick to each other pretty good," said Peach, looking up at the ceiling. "You've been noticing these attachments, but you didn't know it was love until now."

"Right, right," agreed Zelda with two more nods.

"And…someone here also likes Link," continued Peach, "and is trying to get Marth to do something horrible to Link so he'll hate him… By any means possible, forceful, you said…"

"Mm-hmm," agreed Zelda with three nods. "You see now? That's what happened, I'm guessing. Marth must have been being forced to try and do something to Link, and he tried to fight it. And to fight it…"

"He had to get away from Link," finished Peach. "I--I see now! It's making perfect sense now…" she looked at Zelda. "But what happened just now? Wasn't that something of a dead giveaway? Link _chased_ him, Zelda. Nobody here has ever seen Link or Marth act the way they did. What if someone else finds out?"

"…that's what I'm afraid of…" said Zelda quietly.

**Downstairs…**

Roy stared at the Portal, trying to figure out what had just happened. It was still big news among the Smashers, they were still chatting away about it. _I wonder if something happened… between those two…_ Roy looked up at the ceiling. _Zelda obviously knows something… I wonder who she'll tell…_

"Hey, Roy, do you know anything about this?" asked Samus. "He's your buddy, after all. If he's having emotional problems, he won't be able to participate in the upcoming tournament."

"I know…I…uh… I'll go find him," said Roy with a nervous chuckle. He entered the Portal and thought for a few minutes. _He likes the Figure Room…I'll try there first…_ "Figure Room!"

When he arrived, Marth wasn't there. But Link was. He was asleep on the couch, though not peacefully. "M-Marth…" he winced and rolled over.

"Oh, kid, you're here," said Roy. He walked over to Link. "I suppose it's okay for you to want to sleep here…but what happened between you two…?" Roy trailed off, looking at Link's left wrist, which had fallen off the side of the couch when Link rolled over.

"Roy? Oh, you're here," said Zelda. "I was looking for Link and Marth…and it looks like you found Link… What's wrong?" she noticed Roy looking shocked.

"Zelda. I want you to tell me what is going on between these two," said Roy, holding up Link's left arm a little. "Please…tell me."

Zelda gasped softly and covered her mouth with her hand. "I…I'll tell you everything, Roy… I'll tell everyone…"

"Everyone?" asked Peach. She had come in. "But you told me that you won't betray Marth's secret to anyone else… Has something serious now…"

"It looks like he held Link down," said Roy. "Look at this… bruise, on his left wrist, like someone clenched his wrist too tightly…"

"Oh!" Peach looked at Zelda. "Maybe this IS something we should tell everyone… if Marth's been doing something to Link…"

"When he wakes up, he'll tell us," said Zelda. "I'll wait here. You go… Both of you, go tell the rest of the Smashers."

"Tell them…what?" asked Roy.

"Are we gonna tell them that Marth is…a…is…" Peach trailed off, and said, "We'll just tell them that Marth and Link are in love with each other. Right? And that they got into a small argument?"

"Yes…do that," said Zelda. She looked back at the two. "And try to find put who's doing this… Someone wants to split the two up… and I won't let that happen."

"…okay, Zelda," said Roy slowly. "Peach and I will go tell that to the Smashers then…"

"This will be big news," warned Peach. "The Smashers probably aren't prepared to hear this."

"Tell them," said Zelda. "Just…tell them."

"Okay… Come on, Roy," said Peach, leading the swordsman out of the room.

Zelda sighed, putting a hand on her head. _When Link wake up… He'll be able to tell us what happened…_ she looked at his bruised wrist sadly. _What crazy jealous force would go this far… to try and gain someone…?_  
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**Woof! Pretty intense plot there! Link got attacked and before Marth could continue, he decided to stop it, and runs. Now everyone is gonna know about their romance, and the jealous party is greatly intensifying his…well, jealousness! Well, read on if you like, and leave a review, too! Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **We're getting somewhere now, aren't we?

**A/N: **Yes…yes, we are, Disclaimer. Let's keep it moving!

**Chapter Ten: Suspicious Accusations  
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It was the next day, the 7th of the month. Link hadn't awoken yet, Marth was still missing, and the Smashers were shocked at this revelation. Zelda paced the room, her ears pricking distastefully at the tense atmosphere.

"Zelda, why don't you sit down," said Lee worriedly. "We don't know if anything bad happened… We're not even sure if Marth _wanted_ to attack Link."

"Not that that matters," said Falco. "According to Dr. Mario, Link had gotten hit on the head once, and was slammed down hard. That and the hand-shaped bruise Roy discovered, that can only lead to one conclusion."

"He was attacked," agreed Captain Falcon, giving Samus a nudge. "You're stuck with a partner like him! I pity you!"

"Well, mind you, if he tried a trick like that with me, he'd be dead before he knew he was dead," said Samus, giving Captain Falcon shifty-eyes.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute!" Roy stood up defensively. "I've known Marth for some time now! He would never do something like that! It's like what Zelda said; someone here is controlling Marth to try and do something to Link!"

"Isn't that a perfect excuse to attack someone?" asked Ganondorf. "A relationship like this shouldn't exist."

"He's right," said Samus. "What is it that you call an adult who has a relationship with a kid? A pedophile, right?"

"M-Marth's NOT a pedophile!" said Roy angrily.

"The way they've been having this relationship, that's what it is," said Samus with a shrug. "It's no insult; it's what he is."

"Enough of this!" said Zelda. "When Link wakes up, we'll learn the truth soon enough. Now's not the time to be accusing anyone here."

"You don't have to wait long," said Dr. Mario, appearing at the doorway. "He's awake…and he asked to see Zelda alone first. So Zelda…"

"Oh… Of course," said Zelda, following the doctor to the infirmary. "How is he?" she asked.

"I can't be sure," said Dr. Mario. "Right before he woke up, he yelled out loud, as though surprised by something. He shot up, and looked around. When he saw me, the first thing he asked for was Zelda. He seemed so distressed, I thought I'd bring you…"

"I see…" Zelda stopped at the infirmary door, and turned to Dr. Mario. "Maybe I should go in alone, Dr. Mario. If something happens, I'll call, okay?"

"Okay, then," said Dr. Mario. "I'll be out here."

"Thank you…" Zelda came inside and saw Link sitting up in the infirmary bed. "Link? I'm here."

"Oh… Zelda." Link looked up at Zelda, who was surprised by the intensity in those depths. "Nothing happened!"

"…nothing?" repeated Zelda, thrown off guard by this statement.

"Yes, nothing!" agreed Link. "Someone tried to control Marth! I could feel it! Zelda, someone here has power over Marth, and they're trying to make him…" Link trailed off, putting a hand on his head.

"Are you okay?" asked Zelda.

"I'm fine…" Link lowered his hand with a sigh. "I don't know… I was talking to him, when suddenly, he went crazy. That's when I felt that presence."

"Tell me exactly what happened," said Zelda. "Some of the Smashers think this attack was planned. A few are even saying that Marth's _been_ attacking you."

"What do you mean? Th-They know?!" demanded Link angrily. "You let them know about us!"

"I had no choice," said Zelda calmly, looking down. "They would have found out anyway, what with the way Marth ran out and the way you reacted to that…"

"…" Link bit his lip and looked down too. "May-Maybe your right… Maybe I did give us away in the end…"

"So, Link…tell me. What went on. If I tell the Smashers what you told me, they'll believe it. They know I never tell a lie."

"Okay…Okay." Link laid back on the bed. "Yesterday…what I remember…"

**Flashback…yesterday…**

Link headed on upstairs, deciding that he could fend for himself and not worry about what Zelda said. _After all…I trust Marth, and I know he'd never allow it to happen…_ Link looked into Marth's room. "Marth?"

"Oh! Link," said Marth, looking relieved. "I'm glad you came…"

"Are you okay?" asked Link. "The other Smashers said you hadn't come out of your room since training…"

"I'm fine…just a little worried," said Marth. "I told you already…Someone here must know about our relationship, and will try to spilt us up again…"

"I told you already, nothing will split us up," insisted Link. "Really."

Marth sat up on his bed and sighed. "Link…you mean it?"

"Of course I do! Why do you doubt me?"

"You said that even if I did rape you, you'd still love me…"

"Yes. What…what are you saying?" asked Link.

Marth stood up suddenly and headed for the door, closing it. "T-Then… You won't be able t-to run…"

"Marth?"

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!" Marth turned around and striked Link hard across his head!

"Ah!" Link rubbed his head and looked up at Marth. "What are you…?!"

"It's making me again… And I can't stop it this time!" With that, Marth pounced on Link, holding down his left arm forcibly by the wrist.

"Oh…! Ow…" Link winced and struggled a little. "Marth, come on…!"

"…" Marth still held Link down, but hesitated a little. "This person…I know who…it is…"

"You know?" Link opened one eye, trying to pull away from Marth. "Who is it? Tell me."

"It's…that guy…" Marth loosened his hold on Link's left wrist a little. "The one… you…"

Link sighed a little. "You're gonna keep on fighting it…"

Marth gasped out loud suddenly, re-grabbing Link's left wrist, even tighter than before! "Uh…! This is too much…"

"Ah…" Link shook his head. "Marth, come on…!"

"Link…I…" Marth held Link down even more, and gave him a hard kiss!

When Marth had pulled away, Link gasped. "Marth..! No-Now's hardly the time…! Please, fight it!"

"…!" Marth stood up and shook his head. "No! I will not do this to him!" he yelled.

Link sat up, rubbing his wrist while looking up at Marth. "Marth…"

"I have to get out of here…before this goes too far…" Marth shouted out and left the room hurriedly.

"…! Marth! Marth, wait!" Link stood up and hurried down the hall, not seeing who he had passed. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, catching his breath a little. "Marth! What's wrong? Tell me!" he yowled, and gave chase, entering the Portal and calling, "Trophy Room!"

When he arrived, no-one was there. Link looked around searching around and under things. "Marth…Marth…!" He sat on the couch, putting a hand to his lips. _If you had carried on with what you were doing…I wouldn't have minded…_ He laid on the couch, rubbing his wrist. _I shouldn't even be thinking this…but that's what I feel…_ his eyes drooped a little tiredly, and he closed them, snuggling on the couch. _Marth…_

**End flashback…**

Zelda was silent as she heard the story. When he had finished, she looked up at the ceiling for several long minutes. "Well…That is quite something…"

"I don't care if he thought I wasn't going to like it!" said Link, shaking his head. "I…I want us to just…"

"Link, you're only a kid," said Zelda, looking at Link again. "Of course he didn't want to make you…"

"Always 'you're a kid' this, 'you're a kid' that… I don't want to be treated like a kid…I'm young, but I'm not a child! I can make my own decisions!"

"Link, calm down." Zelda stood. "Just rest now, Link. You need to rest up. I'm sure Marth will come back sooner or later. He'll have to, if he wants to justify himself before the Smashers."

"There's nothing to justify! It wasn't him!" Link glared at Zelda. "If anything, you should ask the Smashers who's been doing this to Marth!"

"…oh… You're right…" Zelda nodded. "I'll go do that." she walked out the infirmary and said to Dr. Mario, "After you tend to Link, meet us all in the dining room. We have much to discuss."

"Really…? I hope nothing too serious comes out of this," said Dr. Mario. "Okay, I'll be there soon."

"Thank you," said Zelda with a nod, heading for the entertainment room. "Smashers, this is quite a serious affair," she said to them.

"What did Link say?" asked Lee. "Is he all right?"

"Did Marth really attack him?" asked Ganondorf.

"Will he be able to fight in the tournament?" asked Falco.

Everyone else started rising their questions, and Zelda raised her hands. "Wait, wait! I'll answer everybody's questions…but not here. We'll talk in the dining room. Come on…"

**A few hours later, in the dining room…**

"…and that'd the current situation at hand," finished Zelda. "Now, one of you here is trying to split them up, by making Marth do this. Link told me this himself, that someone's trying to control Marth." she looked from one face to the next. "Now… Please come out with the truth."

All the Smashers looked amongst each other. "It certainly wasn't me!" said Ness after a few minutes. "I've never had any romantic interest in _anybody_ here! Really!"

"Don't worry, I've already ruled you out," said Zelda.

"Wait, don't stand there and accuse us!" said Samus.

"Yeah! How do we know that it isn't _you_ who's causing this?" asked Captain Falcon.

"What?!" cried Zelda, quite shocked. "How dare you! I would never cause something like this!"

"We all know how protective of Link you are," said Nana reasonably. "And maybe when you heard about this relationship, you thought that Link was too young. So, subconsciously, you decided to help out!"

"That's ridiculous! This happened a little bit before I found out!" protested Zelda.

"That's true!" Roy stood up in Zelda's defense before he could think. "We know how nice and kind and wonderful Zelda is! None of that has happened is her fault!"

Lee had opened his mouth before Roy had, and was now staring at Roy in shock. It lasted a second, though; he smiled and stood up, too. "Exactly. Zelda isn't the type to make an adult force a kid, you know."

"Still, she's incredibly powerful," said Ganondorf. He rested his head on both hands, eyeing Zelda. "And if it wasn't her, it could've been that man inside of her, Shiek."

"That sounds-a creepy…" muttered Mario.

"If Shiek had tried something like that, I surely would have noticed!" said Zelda. "I know whatever he's doing, just as he knows whatever I'm doing!"

"Zelda, calm down," said Lee. "I'm sure we're all a little tense at this situation. After all, nobody has ever been raped before. Imagine if something had actually happened. We'd all be naturally suspicious of each other."

"Why not have Shiek justify himself before us?" asked Ganondorf. "If only one voice speaks for two people, how will we know it's the truth?"

Zelda closed her eyes, calming herself down. "Very well… Lee's right. I suppose it's unfair of me, to suspect you all, when we all have suspicions of each other…"

In a flash, there stood Shiek. He crossed his arms and said, "I certainly had nothing to do with this. But I've been watching all these things through Zelda's eyes. I think she thinks that Link said that Marth knows who it was."

"Really?" asked Peach. "Where's Link now? Is he still in the infirmary, Dr. Mario? Will he come out soon?"

"That's a question easily answered," said Dr. Mario.

"What does-a that mean?" asked Luigi in confusion.

"Link's heading down the hall towards the dining room now," answered Shiek. "I wonder what he has to say about all this…"

"What's with this big meeting?" asked Link, stopping at the doorway, looking at all the Smashers in surprise. "Has something happened? Have you found Marth yet?" he looked down. "You all already know by now, so…"

"Maybe this meeting isn't ready for your presence yet," said Shiek. "You could try finding Marth yourself."

"Shiek? Why isn't Zelda out?" Link looked around. "Oh… Never mind. I'll try to find Marth. You all just carry on." Without another word, Link left to the Portal.

"Well, there you have it," said Shiek. "Am I needed for anything else? Am I to be cast into a small part of Zelda's consciousness again?"

"Oh, 'fraid so," said Lee. "We need Zelda's expertise on this subject."

"Indeed," said Roy. "Zelda will be a big help. No offense, Shiek."

"None taken," sighed Shiek.

In another flash, Zelda returned. She sighed as well and sat down on her seat. "Well…what is my expertise needed for?"

"Naturally, we have to tell Master Hand about this," said Falco. "We may have to postpone the tournament until this mess is cleared up. And you, Zelda, are the only one who can present the right case without Master Hand thinking something weird about us."

"That's true," agreed Fox, nodding.

Zelda rubbed hr head. "Very well. I'll need a few minutes, and I'll go see Master Hand myself…"

"Let's hope you don't flob up," said Samus, standing up and stretching. "The last thing we need is for Zelda's perfection to be off balance for once."

"Don't worry," said Zelda with a small smile. "I'll try to settle this best as I can."

"Good luck with that," said Ganondorf, standing up as well and leaving the room. One by one, other Smashers began to do the same.

Roy hung back for a second, then shook his head. _No… Best to leave Zelda with Lee… I won't interfere with her life…Unless she wants me too. And until she asks, I'll keep my distance._ So he nodded politely at Lee and Zelda, and headed upstairs to his room.

Lee looked over at Zelda with concern. "Are you sure…you'll be all right doing this? You look worried."

"I'm worried, yes…" Zelda looked up at the ceiling. "But I know that… I'll do my best to try to make sure nothing bad happens to them…"

**Fountain of Dreams, Marth's POV**

_Ah… I'm a horrible person. What have I done? What have I done?_

_This spell, it afflicted me so hard, I couldn't fight it. But Link, when I attacked him… he didn't present much a fight…he resisted very little, and…it was like he WANTED to be attacked! He's a kid… so much younger than me… I try to rid myself of these horrible lustful thoughts, sitting here in the Fountain of Dreams…_

_But all I can think about is Link. Everything about him… the way he looks, so adorable… And he's so small, so slim. Skin soft to the touch. I have seen him, felt him, scented him, and heard him. All that remains is to taste him… _But I cannot do such a thing to Link! I love him! I will not be forced to lust him!

_I know who's causing this, too… I know who. And when the tournament comes, I'll confront him. I'll make him stop. He won't tear us apart. He won't tear me and Link apart. As these thoughts are coming through me, I feel stronger…like I can release the biding effects of this enchantment. Then I heard his voice, call out to me… Link came. To see me._

_I stood up, and slowly turned around to face him…_  
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**There we go. Chapter 10 up and running, folks! Yay! This Tuesday, we'll know for sure! **

**And.. Sorry about the time-lag thing going on here. But certain circumstances beyond my control (seriously! No joke!) have limited my access to the computer… As of now, I can only post chapter 10. Chapters 11-13 are done, but I can't post those yet… I hope you can understand!**

**But definitely by Tuesday, this fanfic will be properly updated! I'll do my best! I just hope I don't let you down…**

**Now that that's settled… Don't forget to leave me a review…And wish me luck! I'm probably gonna need it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **The promised Chapter 11. Up. Yay.

**A/N: **Ah-huh! Enjoy, hombres!

**Chapter Eleven: Suspicious  
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Marth stood up and slowly turned around. "Link…You came…"

"Of course I came," said Link. "You knew I'd try to find you. And this place is most likely where you'd be."

"Oh… I'm so sorry," said Marth, shaking his head sadly. "I should've been stronger… able to resist… I nearly started to do something horrible to you…"

"I didn't think it was too horrible," admitted Link. "If you had actually done something, I--"

"That's what I'm saying!" exclaimed Marth. "You're just a kid… You're way too young to be wanting something like that!"

"I'm not too young" argued Link. "I can make my own decisions."

"But what about _my_ decision? I certainly don't want us to get that physical yet! Not when you're so…" Marth sighed, and sat back down, shaking his head some more. "Oh…Link, what have I done to you…?"

"What have you done to me?" Link frowned and walked over to Marth. There was no need to kneel down; Link was as tall as Marth when he was sitting down. "Do you really think that? That you have done something to me?"

"Link…" Marth looked up at Link. "I…"

"The only thing you did to me…was show me that you loved me," said Link. "Everything you have ever said and done to me, that is what I feel! Without a word, you clearly convey a thousand ways to say how you felt."

"…"

"I never cared if I got hurt in some way! No relationship is perfect! No relationship is without fights or pain! Look at Mario and Peach! They argue all the time, Mario hurts Peach's feelings, Peach sometimes smacks Mario. They still are together, after all these years, aren't they?"

"Yes, that's true, but…"

"In my world, in Termina, I had reunited a couple that was going through some trouble. Kafei had been returned to his former self, and went into hiding so Anju wouldn't see him as a child. She was distraught; at first she thought it was her fault. But they finally got back together in the end. They had trouble, but they pulled through it! They did!"

"Link…"

"And also--"

"Link!" Marth shook his head and smiled. "You're as stubborn as ever."

"Eh? Are you finally listening to me?" asked Link.

Marth laughed. "Maybe you're right. Every couple hit's a bumpy road once in a while. Maybe I was just overly worried."

"Exactly," agreed Link with a nod. "I told you, nothing is gonna tear us apart, try as they may." he hugged Marth and said quietly, "You already know why, don't you?"

Marth returned the hug, hugging Link close. "Oh…you-you're right… How could I have ever thought…?" he sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Th-Thank you…"

"Hey, are you gonna cry?" asked Link. "I'm here for you."

"No, I--I can't cry right now…" Marth stood up and wiped his eyes again. "We have to go back the Smashers HQ together. They might start worrying about us."

"Okay. But if you need to release it later, I'm here." Link took Marth's hand. "Let's go then!" They called "Smashers HQ!" together and went back to the headquarters.

**Flashback…6 months ago…**

Marth poked his head into Link's room. "Oh! You're awake early!" he noticed.

Link jumped and whirled around. "M-Marth! I've said it countless times, don't sneak up on me!"

"But it's so fun!" laughed Marth coming inside Link's room. "You scare so easily, and you always space out. It's much fun!"

"Ooh. You're treating me like a toy," pouted Link, crossing his arms.

"But you're not a toy," said Marth, sitting on Link's bed. "Just someone fun to scare."

"What do you want, Marth?" asked Link. "I was in some deep thinking here."

"Deep thinking?" repeated Marth. "About what?"

"Our relationship," said Link. "I was wondering, since we've been together for nearly 3 years…where should we go from here?"

"That's an odd question to be asking yourself," said Marth. "What do you mean by 'where should we go'?"

"What do you think would happen if the Smashers found out about our relationship?" Link sat down next to Marth. "That's the question I had in mind as well. It's made me very curious…"

"Well, I'm sure they'd be shocked," said Marth. "But I'm not so sure if it's be a good shock or a bad shock…"

"Why would it be a bad shock?" asked Link. "I don't see anything that could be wrong between us."

"It's just that I don't think they'd accept the fact of an adult and a kid in a relationship," replied Marth, He narrowed his eyes a little. "Generally, that's not something accepted in some parts of some worlds…"

"But this isn't just an adult and a kid," said Link. "It's beyond that! Though you may be right… It might be best if they never knew…" Link looked down at the floor, scratching the blanket with one finger. "But what if someone found out?"

"Well, that _would_ create some problems!" said Marth. "If they found out… We'll just tell them the truth."

"Truth?" repeated Link.

"Yes. The truth is, Link…" Marth smiled and looked at Link. Blue eyes met blue eyes for a very long time, then Marth leaned close and said quietly, "Our love will never be broken."

**End flashback…**

Roy looked towards the Portal and stood up. "Ah! Marth?! You're back!" he ran over to Marth, clasping both hands and looking up at Marth. "Man, you've worried me so much! Why didn't you just at least tell ME what was going on!?"

Marth laughed a bit nervously. "I--I was planning to…"

"But I'm your friend! You can tell me anything!" yowled Roy.

"Oh, Marth's back," called Lee to Zelda. "You said you were hoping Link could find him. And Link has."

"Of course. Was there ever a doubt?" asked Link.

"I'm relieved…" sighed Zelda, standing next to Lee. "Is everything all right now…? No problems, right?"

"No…at least not right now," said Marth. "But Zelda, I know who's been doing this. I could confront him right now."

"Not right now you can't," said Zelda. "We have to tell Master Hand about this first, otherwise it will look like you're just pointing fingers."

"She's right, Marth," said Roy. "There was a little shock over this relationship… but I think they're over it by now…" Roy looked back at the entertainment room, where some Smashers were playing games or reading and whatnot.

Marth bit his lip and sighed. "Yes… Maybe you're right…"

"You're going to go see Master Hand?" asked Link. "Right now?"

"Yes. Master Hand has to know if there were any conflicts this huge among the Smashers."

"Then let me and Marth come with you!" offered Link. "I wanted to let him know myself sometimes. Now's my chance to tell him!"

"But how do we know what Master Hand will say?" Ganondorf had appeared, leaning on the stairway rail. "Such romantic attachments, and still so young?"

"Nana and Popo are obviously an item, and they're kids too!" snapped Link. "They have no problems, so why should I and Marth have problems?"

"They're the same age, and are probably much older than they look," said Ganondorf. "And this mysterious jealous party… Maybe we ought to warn Master Hand about him, too."

"Warn him?" Marth cast Ganondorf a suspicious glance, as if he knew something about him. "Maybe we should…or maybe _you_ should!"

"Excuse me?" asked Ganondorf.

"Maybe it was you all along!" said Marth. "I've been feeling this energy, and it felt like yours!"

"Marth, calm down!" said Roy. "Zelda said she knows it wasn't him."

"Yes, Marth," said Zelda. "I know it wasn't him."

"But…"

"So suspicious," said Ganondorf, wagging a finger. "It's suspicious minds like that that get you in trouble, you know…"

Marth sighed and looked away angrily. "I knew what I felt…"

"Well…I'll be going now," said Zelda. "I shall return soon." she walked past the boys and called, "Final Destination!"

"Marth, maybe you should go get some rest," said Roy. "You look incredibly tired…"

"I'm fine," said Marth. "But a rest does sound nice… I'll see you later, Link?"

"Of course," said Link with a nod and a smile.

Roy watched Marth go upstairs, and cast a sideways glance at Marth. _I know to believe Zelda… but that Ganondorf… what if Marth is right…?_  
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**There… That's about it for now… Short chapter, I know…**

**Leave a review, okay? Thanks! See you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **And 12. And then 13. Then 14, 15, 16...

**A/N: **At least pretend to be amused at this… Sorry, Disclaimer is kinda cynical today! So let's just ignore him and keep on reading!

**Chapter Twelve: Tension Kicked Up Another Notch  
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A few days had passed. It was two days before the tournament. Marth laid back first on his bed with a sigh. _It _must_ have been Ganondorf… But Zelda would know these things, wouldn't she? _ he rolled on his side. _At least the tournament wasn't cancelled… I wonder if Samus was gonna ask me to train today…_

As if on cue, Samus knocked on the door and came inside. "Marth! Now's not the time to be lazing about! We have a tournament to win! You had better work twice as hard!"

"Yes, I know," said Marth. He glanced at the clock on his wall. "But, Samus…" he sat up. "It's 3 in the morning! It's not even Sunday yet!"

"We're two days away from the tournament, and stages are always open when it's close to the tournament," said Samus, waving aside Marth's exclamation.

"_Aa…datte…"_ Marth smushed his face into his pillow and said, "I want to sleep! Let me sleep already…"

"We're never gonna win with that attitude!" scolded Samus, as if she were talking to a kid instead of a prince. "Now meet me at Popo Star in five minutes, or I'll drag you out of bed and train with you anyway. Now COMEON!"

"…_hai, hai…_" Marth sighed, sitting up and throwing the covers off. "Let me change then. I'll meet you there."

"Good. See you." Samus left.

Muttering to himself, the Altean swordsmen looked through his closet and picked out the first outfit he saw, his green battle outfit. _Ah, green…midori… I like this color, _thought Marth as he tossed of his jimmies and put the outfit on.

"Change of plans," said Samus, coming inside. "It seems I was mistaken. The stages are closed at night until 9 AM. It's only the eve of the tournament that the stages are open 24 hours."

"What?" Marth had just finished putting his shoulder pads on. "That can't be… You woke me up for nothing!"

"My bad, man," said Samus. "Go ahead and get back to sleep. You need your beauty rest anyway." she closed the door.

"Beauty rest?" repeated Marth. "Are you implying something? Hey! …sigh, she's gone…" Marth sat down on his bed, blinking and rubbing his eyes, in that state between tiredness and awake-ness. _I'm so tired, but I'm also awake enough to not be able to get back to sleep…_ Marth looked up at the ceiling. _Jealous party must be asleep by now… I'll go check on Link…go watch his again…_

**Downstairs…**

Surprisingly, Link wasn't in his room; he was downstairs, in the entertainment room, laying back-first on the couch. _I feel so awake…_ he thought. _And it's so peaceful down here, when pandemonium isn't ruling this place…_

The window showed a beautiful night sky, full of stars, pretty Milky Way -like color streaks in the sky, and the moon. But from which world, Link didn't know.

_It's definitely not Hyrule's skies… This one feel's different,_ thought Link, standing up and heading for the window. _When I look outside, I can't see the land below it… That's a little freaky, and I get so dizzy…_ Link gave his head a quick shake and backed up…and backed up into Marth. "AAH!" he yelled in surprise.

"Aah!" Marth yelled too, and tripped over his foot in panic. The result caused Marth to fall right on top of Link. "Oof…"

"Ow… Ma-Marth?" asked Link. "It was you! You snuck up on me!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to!" apologized Marth. "I was gonna check on you, but you weren't in your room, so I went downstairs, and here you were!"

"What's-a going on here?" asked Mario, sticking his head out of the kitchen. "Link? Marth? Oh…" Mario looked around. "You weren't…uh…"

"No! Of course not!" yowled Link, blushing a little. "I bumped into Marth and had yelled in surprise, scaring Marth and causing him to trip on me!"

"I was just about to help him up," added Marth, standing up and helping Link up. "Really, Mario, nothing went on."

"Oh…sorry. It's just-a, you know… Upon finding out that-a you two were…well, in love and all…" Mario shook his head. "I'm-a sorry, don't mind-a me…"

"It's all right Mario," said Marth. "I guess all you Smashers would need time to adjust to this… I mean, you all did find out pretty suddenly."

"Right…" Mario jumped and waved his hands wildly. "Don't-a think that I'm prejudiced or-a think terribly of-a you! I think-a nothing different about you-a! And--And none of-a the Smashers do! So…"

"Mario!" said Link. "Calm down. We already know that. Some are more forgiving than others. We understand, Mario."

"Oh…good!" said Mario. "Well then, I'll-a be going back to sleep now…"

Marth watched Mario walk upstairs, and turned to Link. "So, what were you doing down here, anyway?"

"I was looking at the stars," said Link, looking at the window. "Sometimes I come down here and try to guess what world I'm looking at on the outside…"

"And you see no earth below you, so that makes it hard to guess what world it is, indeed!" said Marth. He looked up at the sky. "But I know which world this is."

"Hmm? You do?" asked Link, looking up at Marth in surprise. "Which world is it?"

"…it's the Altean sky," said Marth. "The very same sky of my kingdom, Altea…"

"Eh?! The night sky out right now is Altea!" Link looked up at the sky. "Wow… It's beautiful… I never knew… I spent hours sitting here trying to guess…"

"Hmm…" Marth smiled. "You know, we have a tradition in Altea."

"A tradition?" repeated Link. "What tradition is that?"

"Well… if an Altean regality kisses the one they truly love under the moonlight, they'll be blessed with a true long love life."

"But…" Link blushed a little and looked around. "We-We're not in Altea… Is this the jealousy talking, or is this Marth being kinky again?"

Marth laughed and nudged Link's shoulder. "Come on, I was just teasing you. You take everything so literally."

"Well, even if it isn't a true tradition, it couldn't hurt to try, would it?" asked Link. "A kiss is always good luck."

"Ooh. And you're hoping for good luck to win in the tournament?" asked Marth. "I hope you won't be too distracted, otherwise I'll thrash you!"

"Hey, don't worry! If anything, you'll probably be the thrashed one," said Link, giving Marth a smirk. "But I'm too cute, so you'd have a hard time beating me up."

"Oh, don't underestimate me," said Marth. "I have high resistance, even to elfin charm!"

"I'll bet."

Marth looked down at Link, and softened his eyes a little. "I also have a charm all my own… One that'll leave you staggering."

"Not if I try it on you first," said Link.

Marth put his hands on Link's shoulders and touched foreheads with him. "Isn't it great to be taller than you? Already, I have the advantage."

"Oh, I guess you're right. Now that you have me cornered, what will you do?"

"Since we're not training, I won't show you," said Marth. "It's a special move I've been working on. But for now, this move will have to do."

"What move…" Link interrupted as Marth kissed Link, holding Link a little against the wall. "M-Marth…" he gasped, and returned the kiss.

After a long moment, they pulled away from each other. "Enough good luck for you?" asked Marth quietly.

"Plenty…" agreed Link. "Th-Thank you… I'll be heading on to sleep again… Good night, Marth…" he half-walked-half staggered away, all dreamy and like.

Marth smiled and looked out the window after Link went upstairs. _I shouldn't do such things to him… But that just now, it wasn't the jealousy… It was me. _After a few minutes, Marth decided that he was tired, too, and went upstairs.

Jealous party stood up. He had been hiding behind the couch, watching everything that had happened. _I was watching Link, until you came in… It's so obvious that you have him bound so tightly to you… But once I get to him, he'll _never_ be able to escape from me…_

**Later on that day, at 9 AM-ish**

Zelda came downstairs a little slowly. "Wow… I overslept… That is so unlike me…"

"Oh, you too?" asked Roy. "I overslept, too. I stayed up late reading manga!"

"Is this a continuing pattern?" asked Zelda, smiling sleepily at Roy. "I certainly don't want a drowsy partner on my team."

"Hey, don't you worry, Zelda!" said Roy. "If…" he stopped suddenly.

"Hmm…? Roy?" Zelda looked back at Roy. "What's wrong?"

"If….you…" Roy rubbed his head. He suddenly gasped and said, "If you just stare intently into the light, you'll make it!"

"…! Roy! You remembered something from two years ago…?" _That's what you said to me… two years ago…_

Roy blinked. "What did I just say? I think I said that before… Two years ago, Zelda?"

"Yes, you said that to me," said Zelda. "When you and I met up with Mario in the hallway. Do…Do you remember?"

"…no. That's only it," sighed Roy. "I remembered something… Like I said something like that… I'm sorry…"

"No, it's okay," said Zelda. "I'm glad… if you're remembering."

Roy blushed a little. "Thank you…for worrying about me…" he hurried downstairs, before Zelda could answer.

"…oh…" Zelda shook her head. _Why--Why am I blushing?! I have to stop this! I cannot change what I feel inside… I can't hurt Lee like this… Take control of yourself, girl… Roy is _only_ a friend…_

That was when Roy came back, took Zelda by the shoulders, and kissed her.

Link was about to come downstairs, and stopped in shock when he saw it. _What…What are Zelda and Roy doing…!?_

Roy and Zelda finally pulled away. "…." Roy backed up a little. "I'm… sorry, Zelda… I don't know what came over me…"

"You…you just…" Zelda blushed a little more and looked away. Upon doing so, she saw Lee at the foot of the stairs. _…! Lee…!_  
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**Wow! How's that for another big plot twister! Roy finally got the courage to do something with Zelda! Unfortunately, Lee saw the kiss. What will he do? Will Zelda fall for Roy after this? Will a big battle ensue? And what of this mysterious jealous party? Heh. The suspense is killing you, isn't it?**

**Well, if it is, then leave a review! By June 12th… All will be revealed. Hopefully. I just hope I can keep my schedule… heh heh. See you! J**


	14. Chapter 14

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **We're just twisting everybody, aren't we? You're so evil.

**A/N: **Hey… "evil" is a strong word. I'm mean, cruel sometimes, and a major sadist. That doesn't mean I'm evil. Yeesh. Let's continue!

**Chapter Thirteen: Tournament Eve  
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Lee stood in shock at the bottom of the stairs; Link stood shocked where he was, at the top of the stairs; and Zelda and Roy stood between. "L-Lee!" stammered Zelda. "Please, it wasn't--"

"Are you… Are you seeing someone else?" asked Lee. "Is…Roy, are you…"

"No, Lee, this was all my fault!" said Roy. "But I couldn't help it! I didn't know how else to tell Zelda how I feel! I've been so scared for two years now… but I'm not anymore! I want to try for her attention!"

"What?!" cried Lee, looking outraged now. "No, I'm not gonna accept that! Zelda and _I_ are an item, not you and Zelda! You shouldn't have tried anything at all!"

"Lee, Roy, stop!" said Zelda, shaking her head. "I-- Don't throw this on me, all right! Lee…Lee is the one I'm with, Roy!"

"But I can change that!" insisted Roy. "I'm braver now, and I know you better. We're friends, good friends! We can go deeper than that now!"

"Roy, no…"

Lee came up the stairs and pulled Zelda a little closer. "Look, you and her will never be together! Your mission was failed before it began!"

Link looked between Roy, Zelda, and Lee. _Th-This is quite intense… What will Zelda do now? She's caught in the middle, a place she hoped to never be in…_

"I can sense it," said Roy. "Zelda's been feeling something for me as well! Whenever she talks to me, I can see it in her eyes!"

"R-Roy," stammered Zelda. "I was… What I was saying…"

"Not to sound possessive here, but Zelda is mine!" yowled Lee angrily. "She told me first that she loved me! It took me a while, but I finally warmed up to her! And I love her too! I won't give her up to anybody!"

"Now wait a minute!" stammered Zelda. "There's no need to--to fight for me! I… My choice is made…!"

"You're hesitating, Zelda… It's because you know how you feel!" Roy took a step closer. "You said you regretted rejecting me. You agreed to be my partner when you could've tried harder to get Lee."

"Don't try confusing her!" Lee stepped in front of Zelda defensively. "I thought you'd never try to get her again…but obviously, I was wrong. If you really want to try and win her love, then you'll have to kill me first!"

Link let out a cry of shock, backing up a little. _Someone… Please, try to stop this… I--I'm so scared all of a sudden…! I don't know what to do…!_

"Roy! What are you doing!?" asked Marth, taking Roy's arm and pulling him back a little "You can't just start an openly public confrontation with Lee, you know! What were you thinking?!"

By now, Smashers heard this commotion and had some had gathered to see what the problem was. "Marth? Roy?" Samus looked between them and Zelda and Lee. "What's going on?"

"You can't fight out here," said Peach, looking worried.

"There won't be a fight…" Zelda put a hand to her head. "I can't… decide…"

"Ze-Zelda?" Lee looked back at Zelda. "Do you mean…?"

"I can't decide…I can't decide…!" Zelda backed against the wall and cried out, "I'm sorry, Lee…! But I can't decide! Both you and Roy… How can I be forced to choose…?!"

Link fell to his knees; seeing Zelda's exhaustion somehow made him tired, too. _Zelda's…crying…? She is so sad…_

Zelda shook her head, wiping one eye with her hand. "Until I can decide… I cannot see the both of you…" She winced, and in a flash, there stood Shiek.

"Shiek…?" Lee turned around so he could face Shiek. "Zelda, is she… Is she really having trouble deciding?"

"Trouble?" repeated Shiek. He tossed his head arrogantly. "You haven't noticed? That Zelda's been sharing her affection with another swordsman?"

"You mean…? Zelda likes Roy a little too?!" asked Marth.

"When--When did this happen?" demanded Lee. "Tell me, Shiek!"

"Ever since two years ago," said Shiek. "After Roy remembered everything except Zelda's rejection. Slowly, she felt something for him."

"That can't…" Lee sighed and frowned. "Well… I suppose it's all right for Zelda… She probably needs to get away from us now…" he glared at Roy, and stalked upstairs.

Link watched him walk by, and looked down at Marth and Roy. _What happened…? Why did Roy decide now of all times to…?_

"Roy, that was a foolish thing to do!" hissed Marth. "What were you thinking?"

"I was remembering what you said about seizing the opportunity, to seize the day when I can," said Roy. "And the chance was perfect. I saw her face go red a little, looking at me as she did so!"

"But you didn't consider the consequences!" said Marth, waving his arms. "You've put Zelda under a lot of pressure! You didn't pause to think about her feelings! I told you to seize the day, yes, but I wasn't telling you to take a chance as reckless as that!"

"Well, none of that matters," said Roy, turning away. "When this tournament comes… Shiek and I will win. For Zelda, I'll fight hard. Then she'll choose me."

"Roy…" Marth saddened. _Yet another horrible thing I've caused… I should've told him about Zelda's rejection 2 years ago… I've changed Roy as well…He's so different than he was before…_

"If you really want to win this tournament, I suggest we get training right away," said Shiek. "Let's hope you and I work well together, Roy."

"I will! Zelda's in there, somewhere, and I'll do my best for her!" Roy frowned determinedly, and headed for the Portal. "Where shall I meet you?"

"Anywhere's fine," shrugged Shiek, following.

Link stood up and came next to Marth. "What just happened? Why did Roy do something like that?" asked Link sadly, holding Marth's hand.

"I…" Marth sighed and shook his head. "It's because of me…"

"What do you mean? How could this be your fault?"

"I've made Roy into a more aggressive and take-force person… He's not the sweet and understanding man he was two years ago… Without those memories I left out, he's changed…his personality has changed…"

"But leaving something out can't cause such a drastic stage, can it?" asked Link. "I mean… Roy was just taking your advice, but in the wrong way! M-Maybe it was just an honest mistake…"

"I'm not sure if his action was a mistake, but as for the change…" Dr. Mario stood at the foot of the stairs. "I should've warned you, Marth, but leaving out something as important as that, it has caused a change in Roy."

"Don't talk like it's Marth's fault!" said Link defensively.

"Link…stay out of this," said Marth sadly. "I have to try to fix this, and I don't want you to get involved."

"What? But…"

"Please, just leave it to me," said Marth.

Link opened his mouth, about to argue, but Dr. Mario cut in. "Marth's right, Link. This is a matter for adults to handle. A kid can't get mixed up in such a mess."

"Oh… Come on!" Link looked down. "Well… Maybe you're right… I might just mess it up… Marth, I'll see you later." He turned around and headed for his room sadly. _There's nothing I can do… Because I'm just a kid… Zelda…_

Marth watched Link go, then turned to Dr. Mario. "Sensei, is there anyway that we can change Roy back to his original personality?"

"I'm not sure," said Dr. Mario, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not sure of the state of mind Roy's in… It's difficult to say, at this stage… Chances of reverting to his original persona is pretty slim…"

"Then… Roy won't come back?" asked Marth. "Sensei, we can't accept that! There MUST be a way to get our Roy back!"

"I'll do the best I can… but the only one who can truly help Roy back to who he was is you, Marth," said Dr. Mario. "Something you have inside you will help Roy regain his senses."

"…I understand," said Marth with a nod. "I'll do my best, Sensei…"

"All right then," said Dr. Mario, turning to walk back to the infirmary. "I'm counting on you, Marth."

Marth nodded, and Dr. Mario walked away. He looked up at the ceiling. _Hopefully… I can tackel both this jealous party, AND the Roy/Lee/Zelda triangle… By tournament's end… A solution will be reached… I hope. _

**Monday, June 11****th****, 2007...**

"All right, it's the day before the tournament," said Master Hand. "You all know the rules and such of these upcoming matches, right?"

"Yes," said Mario. "All of-a the matches will have very little items appearing-a, 7-stock-a battles with a time limit of 8 minutes-a."

"Your goal in these matches is to aim for victory," added Peach. "Absolutely no cheating, otherwise you'll be disqualified."

"Very good," said Master Hand. "Now, I've been noticing that there's some animosity amongst a few Smashers…"

Some Smashers glanced at Roy and Lee, who were glaring daggers at each other, while some others glanced at Marth and Link. "Eh…some," said Fox.

"Well, don't let it get in the way with the tournament," said Master Hand. "I expect so much better out of all of you; don't disappoint me, all right?"

"Yes, Master Hand!" chorused the Smashers together.

"Now, go get training," said Master Hand. "I will have our newest Smashers review these battles, just so they can see how grueling this world can be."

"What?! The new Smashers?" asked Yoshi in surprise. "Are they here now?"

"Now, they aren't," said Master Hand. "They won't arrive until August, lest you forget, Yoshi."

"Uhm… Right," mumbled Yoshi.

"Do your best, all of you," said Master Hand. "And don't embarrass yourselves. You have new Smashers to think about."

"All right, we will," said Shiek. "Don't worry, Master Hand, you can count on us." With that, he turned around and led the Smashers out back to HQ.

"I have the practice stages all set up," said Lee, tacking something to the board. "Read that, y'all, and you can see where you're to practice for this day!"

Everyone gathered around and read the board. It read like this:

**TRAINING BATTLES- Where to go with your partner:**

**Link/Falco: Fountain of Dreams  
Marth/Samus: Onett  
Zelda (Shiek)/Roy: Pop Star  
Peach/Ganondorf: Icicle Mountain  
Ness/Pichu: Mushroom Kingdom II  
Mario/Dr. Mario: Battlefield  
Bowser/Donkey Kong: Kanto Skies  
Jigglypuff/Luigi: Big Blue  
Pikachu/Kirby: Venom  
Fox/Captain Falcon: Brin Star  
Game & Watch/Mewtwo: Hyrule  
Yoshi/Ice Climbers: Kongo Jungle**

"I see… We're training there," said Samus. "Are you ready, Marth? We'll win this tournament for sure!"

"Oh…? Oh, yes!" agreed Marth, nodding his head. "We will! You want us to start training now, though?"

"Yes! We've no time to lose!" With that, Samus took Marth's arm and dragged him to the Portal. "We train hard, we win easy!"

"Wah! Right behind you!" yowled Marth.

"Okay, then, Roy," said Shiek. "You know what to do, I assume?"

Roy nodded. "Yes. We'll fight, and we'll win! Let's go!"

Shiek watched Roy hurry away, and glanced down at Link. "Aren't you gonna find your partner? It's best to train right now, you know…"

"yeah, I know…" sighed Link. "I'm just a little worried, that's all…"

"About Zelda?" asked Shiek. When Link didn't answer, Shiek bent down to Link's eye level and said quietly, "You don't have to worry about Zelda. She'll be just fine. You know how strong she is… And she wouldn't want you to worry for her."

"…Oh…" Link looked up at Shiek. "…If you say so…"

"Good. Oh, by the way, Zelda said to give you this," said Shiek. He lowered his scarf a little and gave Link a kiss on the cheek.

Link blushed a little and backed away. "Whoa, now! Zelda wanted to give me that? W-Why would she do that?!"

Shiek chuckled to himself. "No need to be embarrassed. Zelda knows that you're a sweet kid…and so do I. Take that as a kiss from both of us."

"Oh…thank you…" said Link quietly. "I care about Zelda, as she cares for me, so it's only natural I worry for her…"

"What a sweetheart!" exclaimed Shiek. "Because you're so nice, Zelda wants to give you another kiss."

"Cut it out now," yowled Link. "Zelda, you're touchy-feely girl thing is making Shiek act weird!"

"Oh, all right," said Shiek. "Zelda was trying to be nice, and I'm her vessel as of right now."

"…sorry," said Link, looking down shyly. "It's just… You're the first guy since Marth to give me a kiss. I'm a little embarrassed."

"Hmm! Is that so?" asked Shiek. "You really ARE just a kid…"

Link pouted a little. "I'm _not_ just a kid! And I'll prove it to you! If we face off in the tournament, I'll thrash you!"

"All right, then. Go do your best, I shall be waiting," said Shiek.

"Okay! Falco, Let's go train now!" called Link.

"Huh? Right now? Sigh… all right," said Falco, following Link to the Portal.

Shiek crossed his arms, watching then dissappear. _Hmm… Maybe Link's the one who's gonna be thrashed about… I'd better watch out for him…_  
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**Tourmanent time! This time today either later on today, or tomorrow, we'll see the battles! And we'll see… JEALOUS PARTY-san! He'll be revealed. And truth be told… I hope you'll be shocked. And not disappointed. So… Await the next chapter eagerly! For on June 12th, tomorrow, HE WILL REVEAL HIMSELF!!! -evil laughter- So, review, and await!**


	15. Chapter 15

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **Revelation time! Right on time! About time! Whoo-hoo!

**A/N: **yep! Jealous Party… COME ON OUT!!

And another thing… This chapter…Isn't gonna focus too much on fighting. Sorry if you were expecting a huge battle… but I'm just not good at writing battle scenes. Really, I'm sorry! I'm more story then I am action, soo…

Read on!

**Chapter Fourteen: Jealous Party Revealed!  
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The day of the tournament arrived. Everyone was well-trained and raring to go! On the board, it listed the schedule of battle:

**Round One:**

Falco/Link VS Marth/Samus  
Fountain of Dreams  
7:30 AM

Shiek/Roy VS Peach/Ganondorf  
Great Bay  
7:45 AM

**Ness/Pichu VS Mario/Dr. Mario  
Corneria  
8:00 AM**

**Bowser/Donkey Kong VS Jigglypuff/Luigi  
Battlefield  
1:00 PM**

**Pikachu/Kirby VS Fox/Captain Falcon  
Mute City  
1:15 PM**

**Game & Watch/Mewtwo VS Yoshi/Ice Climbers  
Pokemon Stadium  
1:15 PM**

"It's 7:20 right now…" said Marth to himself. "Sigh… I always get so nervous before a battle…especially before a tournament…"

"Why are you so nervous?" asked Link. "I bet it'll be fun! Put all that training into good use, you know?"

"Yes…but it's a battle, you know." Marth shivered a little. "I'm just shaky and nervous…that's all."

"Because new Smashers are gonna be warching these battles?" asked Link. "You don't have to be. I'll be doing my best, so you go do yours, okay?"

"…right," said Marth, smiling down at Link. "Thanks. I will do my best."

"Great!" cheered Link. "Now I don't have to feel bad when I fight you."

"It's almost time," said Samus, appearing behind Marth.

"Wah!" Marth whirled around. "S-Samus! You popped up out of nowhere…" he glanced at the clock. "But… 7:22 now. We have 8 minutes before we begin…"

"We have 8 extra minutes for last minute training!" yowled Samus.  
"So let us go right now!" without another word, she grabbed Marth's arm and dragged him to the Portal.

"_J-Ja ne, Link!" _called Marth as he vanished with Samus.

Link sighed. "That Samus, it's all win for the tournament…" he sat down on the couch. _Well… 8 minutes to sit here and think before Falco and I are officially called to the Fountain of Dreams… I wonder how this battle will go…_

"Hey, Link," said a voice behind Link, tapping his shoulder.

"Aah!" Link whirled around and sighed. "Shiek…"

"After your battle, and after mine, can you meet me at the Trophy Room?" asked Shiek. "I…have something to tell you. Something you should hear."

"You sound so serious…" Link narrowed his eyes. "Could it be…that you know something about this jealous party?"

"Zelda does," said Shiek. He glanced away. "It's….very important."

"Oh… All right then," said Link, looking a little confused now.

"And come alone," added Shiek, walking away. "It's something for only you to hear…"

"Huh…? What does that…" Link trailed off as Shiek went upstairs. _Hmm… I wonder what Shiek has to say? Maybe he found out who the jealous party is…_

"It's time for the first round to begin," said Falco, coming up to Link. "Ready to go? They're a little touch, but I think we can do it."

"What?" Link looked up distractedly at Falco. "Oh…yes. I'm ready! Sorry. Let's get going then."

"All right," agreed Falco, and he and Link headed for the Portal, and called, "Fountain of Dreams!" together.

Mario plopped on the couch and sighed. "Nothing-a to do here but wait here and see who the victor is-a."

"We have this big screen here, so we can watch the battle!" said Nana excitedly. "Let's watch the battle here!"

"All right!" cheered Ness. "A big new screen!"

"A new TV?" asked Peach with a sigh, sitting down next to Mario. "Well… I suppose that's good for us."

"Yeah, yeah," agreed Fox. "It's better than the old days, when we had to squish in front of a small TV…"

"The TV wasn't THAT small," said Jigglypuff. "I could see out of it perfectly."

"That's because you're a puffball, Jigglypuff," said Fox, giving Jigglypuff shifty eyes. "Everything isn't that small to you."

"Hey!" puffed Jigglypuff.

Roy crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching the fight on screen. _I wonder if Lee will ask someone to give him his position… if he wants to face me…_ he glanced at Lee, who was watching the battle. _If he DOES decide to face me… I'll be ready to face him…_

Lee felt someone watching him, and glanced at Roy. He frowned and looked back at the TV. _Damn that Roy… I've never felt this before… Jealousy… It doesn't feel good to me at all, but whenever I think about the possibility of Zelda falling for Roy…_ he clenched a fist. _I can't STAND to bare that…!_

"Hey, Lee," said Shiek, sitting down next to Lee. "You look a little tense. You're not gonna fight, you know."

"Don't pretend you don't know what's going on," sighed Lee, unclenching his fist. "I'm… I'm just a little worried."

"A little worried," repeated Shiek. "It worries Zelda when you get jealous, you know."

"I'm not trying to get jealous!" yelled Lee, looking very sad suddenly. "I just can't stand it! What would I do if Zelda didn't love me anymore?!"

Everyone jumped and looked back at Lee. "Lee?" asked Pichu. "Are you okay?"

"I--I'm fine." Lee stood up and wiped one eye. "Excuse me, I have something caught in my eye…" he stood up and hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

"…" Roy said nothing, trying to concentrate on the battle on screen. _Samus and Falco are toe-to-toe… And poor Link. He's being tossed around by Marth…_

"There's some pretty intense things going on around here, huh?" asked Fox to Ganondorf quietly.

"I know. A lot of romantic torn angst-y stuff," agreed Ganondorf.

_Those two are talking about romance…_ thought Roy. _Well… It shouldn't matter to me…_ he glanced at Shiek. _I--I know I can win Zelda's heart now…_

"Shiek looks so calm, too," said Ganondorf, casting a quick glance at Shiek, "but I'm willing to bet he's a little torn, too. After all, he and Zelda are like the same person, right? How Zelda feels, Shiek will feel, too…"

"So you're saying that Shiek likes Roy, too?" asked Fox, twitching one ear in confusion. "That's kinda awkward…"

"I never said Shiek liked Roy, you idiot," sighed Ganondorf. "I'm just saying that Shiek probably likes someone, too, and he has to hide it because of Zelda."

"Oh…I see," said Fox. "That's a lot…"

Roy sighed and sat down against the wall, watching the match. _Time's nearly up…_ he thought as he watched the battle. _If Falco gets knocked out before Samus does, Link's in for trouble…_

"It's a shame, that Master Hand won't let us sit in the audience," sighed Captain Falcon, shifting position in front of the couch. "You get sore staying in one spot for so long…"

"Hey, down in front-a!" yowled Mario. "I'll miss-a the final 10 seconds!"

"Sorry," mumbled Captain Falcon, trying to shift position again without missing the last 91/2 seconds.

Roy mouthed the countdown. _8...7...6...5...4...you have three seconds…2...1..._

"WOWWEE!!" cheered a majority of the Smashers. "What a match, what a show!"

"Great fight-a!" cheered Luigi.

"Pretty good, especially when Samus started beating the crap out of Falco!" agreed Popo. "Bam whack!"

"And Marth using size and skill to pounce Link!" agreed Nana. "What do you think was going throw his mind during that battle?"

"What? You shouldn't be thinking things like that!" exclaimed Peach, looking affronted. "You're children!"

"I wasn't thinking that at all!" said Nana innocently.

"Oh, they're coming back now, as the winners and losers!" said Ness. He looked over at the message board. "It looks like Shiek and Roy are up against Peach and Ganondorf next!"

"It does," said Peach. She blinked. "Ooh! I'm not ready for this! I need a new dress!" she hurried upstairs.

"What? Change?" asked Ganondorf. "Oh, come on! Sigh…women…"

Marth and Samus appeared at the Portal first, then Falco and Link. "We did it! We won round one!" cheered Samus.

"Ouchie…my backside…" groaned Falco. "I'm gonna go see Dr. Mario…"

Link dusted himself off. "I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?" asked Marth worriedly. "I thrashed you around pretty bad…"

"So did I" said Link defensively. "I'm not a rag doll; I would've beaten you if I were more quicker!"

"That's true… but still, go get checked up anyway…just in case," said Marth. "For me?"

"Mm… You make that face, and I can't say no, can I?" asked Link. He shook his head and smiled. "Fine…if it'll make you feel better. Wait up, Falco!" he called as he followed the blue bird to the infirmary.

Marth smiled to himself and walked to Roy. "You're up for the next round… how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good!" said Roy. "I'll be fighting alongside Zelda, won't I?"

"…Roy, Shiek is taking Zelda's place for a reason, you know," sighed Marth, the smile fading. "Do you really think she'll…"

"I don't have to see her," insisted Roy, crossing his arms. "I can feel her, and that's enough for me."

"Can you really feel Zelda within me?" asked Shiek, standing next to Marth. "That is quite something."

"Hmm. Want to meet up at Great Bay now, Shiek?" asked Roy. "I could do with some last-minute training."

"Why not," shrugged Shiek. "I hope to make this a quick battle; I have something to do after this whole affair…"

"Something?" repeated Marth. "What's that?"

"…nothing that concerns you, Marth," said Shiek. "With all due respect."

"Oh…S-Sorry, I didn't…" Marth glanced away. _I'm so nosy…_

"If you're gonna do some last-minute training, I'd like to come," said Ganondorf. "I'll come, too. And Peach, if she wants."

"Yes, yes I'll come!" called Peach, hurrying down the stairs. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Let's go then!" said Roy. "Come on, Shiek."

"Yes, I'm coming," said Shiek.

Marth watched them go, and headed upstairs. _That battle was pretty tiring… I think I'll take a little cat nap before I watch more battles…_

"Marth… Marth," said Lee.

"Oh? Lee?" Marth looked up at Lee. "What is it?"

"Uhm…can I ask you something?" asked Lee.

"Sure, go ahead," said Marth, turning to face Lee completely. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing…It's just…" Lee gave a shuddering sigh. "If Roy and Shiek win this next battle… Is it all right if you stand-by, and let me fight?"

"Eh? Let you fight?" Marth softened his gaze. "Is it…about Roy?"

"I don't want to say anything tactless, since he's your friend, but… Roy went too far!" hissed Lee. "I--I don't want him to do anything to win Zelda's affections! So… I--I want to face him in battle. Especially a battle like this!"

"…All right," said Marth with a nod. "I…I really am sorry for what has happened to Roy… It's partly my fault, for not telling him the full truth…"

"Marth, I…I don't blame you," said Lee. "And that's the truth." he smiled. "Thanks, Marth. I feel a little better now… I feel more cheerful."

"Hey, it's no problem," said Marth. "I'll do what I can to make sure Roy regains his senses, and Zelda to feel better."

"I know you will, Marth." Lee walked down the hall, and said over his shoulder, "After all, Link's with you."

Marth blinked and watched Lee go. _Oh… I hope I can fix this mess…for better or worse… I have to fix Roy!_

**Downstairs…**

Link walked to the entertainment room and sat behind the couch. _I don't really care for battles… but when Marth fights, I'll watch him…_ he held up his left wrist a little, seeing the bandage wrapped around it, and smiled a little. _I wouldn't mind…if Marth tried again…_

"Ooh, ooh! The next battle's starting!" called Kirby. "Gather round!"

Everyone chattered excitedly and gathered to watch the fight. "This oughta be good!" said Ness. "I wonder how Peach will fare? She's the lightest of them all."

"Yes, but she's not dainty and helpless," said Popo. "She's got deadly skill!"

"And she's quick, so Roy and Shiek will have a hard time hitting her!" said Nana.

"But Shiek is pretty light, too," said Pikachu. "And he's deadly if he can get you cornered…"

"And Ganondorf is a mad powerhouse!" exclaimed Pichu.

"Quite now, you kids, the battle's on!" said Captain Falcon.

"This is great, isn't it?" asked Samus, sitting next to him. "I wonder who we'll be facing next…"

"Lets-a get it on!" cheered Mario.

Link sighed and yawned. _Must they make so much noise? It gets so loud, my ears hurt…_

Falco came inside and sat down next to Fox. "The battle ought a be good!"

"Yep! Especially after YOUR defeat," teased Fox.

"Hey, that's not fair," said Falco. "Samus gained up on me, that's all."

"You went easy on her," scolded Fox.

"He didn't go easy on me," said Samus, taking her helmet off and flipping her hair. "I mauled him mercilessly, and that's that."

"Pheh…Whatever," sighed Falco, leaning back.

Link looked forward to the minute when the match was over. And soon, his wish was granted. The match was over; Ganondorf and Peach lost. _Finally… I'll go meet Shiek in that Trophy Room…_

After he went inside the Trophy Room, he was surprised to see that it was darkened. "What…? What happened to this room…?"

"I'm so glad you could come…" said a voice.

Link jumped and turned around. "Oh…! Shiek! Aren't--Aren't you gonna go check with the Smashers? Go watch the match?"

"No… no need to," said Shiek. "I have Roy to thank for this opportunity… I really do."

"Eh…? What do you mean? What are you talking about?" asked Link.

"Now that Zelda can't interfere with what I can do… I can do what I've always wanted," said Shiek.

"…What are you getting at? Get to the point all ready," said Link, taking an involuntary step back. "You…"

"Straight to the point? Hmm…" Shiek walked up to Link and said quietly to Link, "I'm your mysterious jealous party."

"…?!" Link blushed suddenly and backed up. "Do-Don't be silly, Shiek! This isn't the time for jokes!"

"You think it's a joke?" asked Shiek. "Hmm. Maybe I should prove it to you."

"Prove it to me…? No, Shiek, stop this!" Link headed for the Portal, but Shiek grabbed Link's wrist to stop him. "…!"

"Don't go anywhere. I'm telling you… this isn't a joke," said Shiek. "Zelda's weak and powerless now. I'm free to do what I wish. And what I wish… is to make you all mine."

"Let me go now! Shiek, this isn't you…!" Link tried to pull away. "Please!"

"I see how it is…" Shiek pulled Link closer. "Then… I'll change you…"

"Change…me…?" Link looked up at Shiek, a mix of confusion and fear in his eyes. "What do you mean…?"

"We'll let Marth try and save you," said Shiek. "But for now… you're hear with me."

Link made one last attempt to get away. Then he felt a sharp hard pain on the back of his head. As he fell to the ground, the last thing he felt was Shiek holding him up a little, and the last thing he saw was Shiek's red eyes; they were happy.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Woof! Wow, the jealous party revealed. It's…SHIEK!! Hah, I'm glad to finally tell you all! Are you surprised? Disappointed? Indifferent? Do tell me! Sorry if this chapter was kinda abrupt ended…partly my fault! ; I rewrote this chapter so many times, I decided to go with this…**

**Please, let me know what you think in a review, and await the next chapter! I'll try to update soon! **


	16. Chapter 16

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **What'll happen now? Read on to find out.

**A/N: **Yes…more to follow, more to follow! And sorry about the long wait, but some of you know, I've been QUITE busy at deviantART! AHAHAH! I'm obsessed with that sight now, and drawing like crazy! And then I remembered that I had fanfic to write! Soo… Sorry for leaving you all on edge! Here, the next chapter and the next! Enjoy!

EDIT:: Gave the chapter a name! ; hahaah… Enjoy, for real this time!

**Chapter Fifteen: I Won't Let You Suffer  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Flashback…1 year ago, Marth's POV**

_I remember one time, about a year ago… I got pummeled pretty bad, and I had a flu, too. Man, I felt so terrible… I stayed in bed all day, I didn't want to trouble Dr. Mario. Roy came in once in a while, till about noon, when he had to go train and other things. That was when Link came in to check on me._

_He was worried about me, knowing how badly I had gotten hurt. Continually insisted that I go see Dr. Mario. Peach. Someone, anyone. I found it kinda silly how he worried so much. I mean, I was beaten up, but not THAT badly. And… it made me happy that he was so worried._

_He stayed with me the whole time. No one else came in my room… so we could talk without fear. Without anyone finding out. I don't know why I was afraid of anyone finding out… I knew somehow that it wouldn't make much difference if we WERE together. But still…_

_It became late at night, and I grew a little sleepy. I told Link that he could leave now, there was no need to stay and watch me all night. He looked miffed, as if I didn't care that he was worried. Still, he left. Or I thought he had._

_When I woke up the next morning, Link had come back. He was sleeping, next to me. He had come in…he bandage some of my wounds, too. Link, what a nice kid… He had come back, just to help me. I truly felt happy, touched. That was when I knew truly…_

**Present day…3PO**

Marth shot up suddenly, looking around. "Oh…that dream…" Marth looked out the window, and it was the evening. "Oh, no! I slept in too much…" he hurriedly hopped out of bed and ran downstairs. "Roy, how much did I miss? What happened?"

Roy looked back. "Oh, Marth… Not much." he pointed at the board. "The results are posted right there."

"Thanks…" Marth checked the board. It read like so:

**Round One Winners:**

**Marth/Samus**

**Shiek/Roy**

**Mario/Dr. Mario**

**Bowser/Donkey Kong**

**Pikachu/Kirby**

**Yoshi/Ice Climbers**

**The next match is scheduled for June 19th. All winners, you have 24-hour access to stages, and can practice anytime you wish. **

_I see… so it's me and Samus verses Shiek and Roy next round…_ "Roy, do you know where Link is?" asked Marth.

"Not me, I haven't seen him," said Roy. "In fact…" Roy looked around. "I haven't seen him at all since the end of the second match, when me and Shiek won…"

"Is that so…?" Marth looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe Zelda would know where he is…"

"What Zelda?" asked Roy. "Remember, Shiek is here, not her."

"…right," said Marth. "Then I'll go ask him. Where's he at?"

"He went to his room a little bit ago," said Roy. He leaned back on the couch with a sigh. "Probably talking to Lee again…"

"Hmm… Roy, maybe I should tell you this--" began Marth.

"I know already," said Roy. He closed his eyes. "Lee told me already, that you agreed to stand-by so Lee could have the chance to fight me in the tournament…"

"Well…I…"

"That's just fine," insisted Roy, opening his eyes and looking up at Marth. "It'll give me a great opportunity to let Lee lose face in front of everyone… And then, maybe Zelda will choose me."

"Roy, Lee has an equal chance of making _you_ lose face in front of everyone as well," sighed Marth, shaking his head. "This shouldn't be a contest to you; Zelda's really hurt right now, torn between you two…"

"It's not a contest," said Roy. "I'm just saying, no-one will get in our way."

"…only time will tell that, Roy," said Marth finally. "I'll be searching for Link if you need me."

"Fine." Roy watched Marth go upstairs, and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Marth knocked on Shiek's door. "Um… Shiek?"

Silence for a few seconds; then Shiek opened the door. "Ah, Marth," he said. "What do you want?"

"I--I'm sorry for interrupting you, it's just…" Marth blinked. _Shiek looks so fierce right now… I've never seen him look like that…_

"Marth? What is it?" Shiek crossed his arms, waiting.

"…! Right! I was wondering if you had seen Link anywhere."

"No," said Shiek, shaking his head. "Not anywhere here. But I do know where he is."

"Oh, do you? Could you please tell me?" asked Marth.

"No," said Shiek again. "Not right now, anyway."

"Eh…? Why not?" Marth tilted his head in confusion.

"Just go to the trophy room," sighed Shiek, rolling his eyes. "Excuse me for trying to sound mysterious. Isn't that my image?"

"Ah, trophy room! Thanks," said Marth. "See you."

Shiek watched him go, then scoffed and closed the door. "Sorry about that, Lee," he said, sitting down at the edge of Zelda's bed.

"No, it's all right," said Lee quietly. "But still…why didn't you tell him?"

"Tell him what?"

Lee looked up at Shiek. "You know what you did. And I was trying to tell you, Zelda wouldn't like it. She's gone through enough already; can't you just stop what has happened?"

"No, afraid not, Lee," said Shiek, laying back on the bed. "I don't see why I can't have some fun… Zelda rarely lets me out, and I've had my eye on him for the longest time."

"But is it enough?" asked Lee sadly. "I'm worried about Zelda…"

"Hey, if she can, I invite her to try and stop me," said Shiek. "But it's like you said; she has enough of her plate as it is. When she's reached a decision, and once she regains her strength… Let us see what she can do."

Lee bit his lip and looked away, unconsciously clenching a fist. "When you say it like that… I only get afraid that I won't be the answer." without waiting an answer, Lee stood up and left the room sadly.

Shiek sat up and rested his head on one hand. _No need to be so sensitive, Lee… Zelda will know the right choice in her heart, as I do mine. And for now…nothing will tear him away from me…_he smirked a little. _Not even Marth…_

**With Marth…**

Marth had hurried downstairs and to the trophy room, where Link indeed was. "Oh, Link!" Marth hurried over to Link, was sitting on the couch, looking worried for some reason. "Are you okay?"

"…Marth…?" Link looked up at Marth distractedly. "It's you…" he looked down again.

"Link, what's wrong?" asked Marth, sitting down next to him. "You look…distracted."

"I am distracted," sighed Link testily. "I was deep in thought before you came badgering in here."

Marth blinked in surprise; Link rarely spoke with this venom in his voice. "Oh…I--I'm sorry, should… Do you want me to leave…?"

"No, no, stay," said Link. "I forgot what I was thinking about anyway. What do you want?"

"…I…" Marth narrowed his eyes a little. "Link, seriously, are you okay? It's just… you seem a little… vexed right now."

"A little vexed," repeated Link. "Well… yes." he stood up and walked to the trophy table. "Marth… there's something you should know…"

"…what is it?" asked Marth quietly, not sure what to expect.

"…why…"

"Why?" repeated Marth. "Why what?"

Link put both hands on the table, trying to hold some tears back. "Why… Marth… Why did you have to fall in love with me?!"

"…?! L-Link?" stammered Marth, standing up.

"Don't get closer!" Link whirled around, his eyes sad and angry at the same time. "I--I can't handle this! Someone else here wants me!"

"The jealous party?" asked Marth. "Oh, you mean…?"

"Him, yes," agreed Link, wiping one eye. "I can't compete with someone like that… And neither can you! Not when he's borrowing that power from Zelda!"

"Link… Shiek was the one…?" Marth gasped. "I just saw him…! He's upstairs, in his room…"

"It doesn't matter! We can't be, when he's around!" Link looked down and shook his head. "I can't do anything about it… You can't do anything about it… We can't be, Marth… we just can't…"

"Link, hold on!" said Marth taking a step towards Link, about to put a hand on Link's shoulder when Link recoiled suddenly. "…"

"Don't… come close…" said Link quietly. "I can't be with you anymore… I don't want Zelda to suffer any more, she has enough… I'll just…"

"You're…" Marth shook his head and grasped Link by the shoulders. "No, Link, don't say that! Don't let anything come between us!"

Link looked up at Marth. "…Marth, I…"

"You told me that nothing would come between us!" said Marth. "Don't give up now! Don't--don't _leave_ me, Link!"

"…" Link didn't answer, looking down.

"Link, please…" said Marth quietly. He hugged Link. "Let's just… Shiek won't…"

"Or will I?" asked Shiek.

Marth and Link jumped, and looked towards the portal, where Shiek stood, arms crossed. "Sh-Shiek…" stammered Link.

"This is quiet touching, how close you two are," said Shiek. "But now, I'm afraid Link's right, Marth. He can't be with you anymore."

"You're after Link…" said Marth slowly. "Why?"

"Why?" repeated Shiek with a laugh. "The same reason you did. Link's cute, you say. Innocent, naïve. Don't we all love that?"

"You should've made your move before I did!" said Marth. "You can't just decide now of all times that you want to be with Link!"

"I've been trapped under Zelda for too long," said Shiek. "I could never do what _I_ wanted. It was always her bidding. Her call."

Link pulled away from Marth and said to Shiek, "Please, stop this. You know I'll come. Just don't make this so hard…"

"Link, no…" said Marth.

"I won't make it hard, Link," said Shiek, uncrossing his arms. "It's up to Marth here. Will he let you go?"

"Of course I won't!" shouted Marth. "I love him, and I won't let him go to anyone! Not when he doesn't want to!"

"Marth…" Link held up a hand, an uncertain expression on his face.

"Something _will_ come between you and Link," said Shiek. "I will see to that. As much as this may surprise you, Marth… but you're not the only one with romantic affections for Link."

"You're not taking him," said Marth angrily.

"Such fierce protection," remarked Shiek. "But isn't this decision for Link to decide on his own?"

"I…" Link looked down.

"…" Marth took a step towards Link. "Link…please…"

"We can't be…Marth…" Link looked up at Marth sadly. "We can't…"

"L-Link, no…no…"

"We can't be together anymore…" Link buried his face in his hands, an cried, "We can't be together anymore!"

"…but…why…?"

"I don't want Zelda to be hurt because of this…" Link took a step back. "She'll suffer if Shiek uses any other means to try and win me… She's done so much for me, I can't let her be hurt now…"

"You have a kind soul, too," smiled Shiek. "That is easy to love, too."

Marth fell to his knees. "Link…"

"I'm sorry…" Link lowered his hands, trying to regain composure. "But… We can't…"

"Isn't this just nice?" asked Shiek. "Now I have nothing to worry about. Zelda will be all right, cause I won't be seething with jealousy anymore. Right, Link?"

Link didn't answer, looking at Marth sadly. Then he frowned suddenly, and nodded, looking up at Shiek. "Right."

"…" Marth watched them go sadly, looking down at the floor. _What is going on…? What can I do now…? If I can't have Link at my side…How will I tell him that…_  
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**Hehehe… Tell him what, I wonder? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out! Look forward to the next update! Hope you'll enjoy it! Ja ne for now!**


	17. Chapter 17

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **What is Shiek's secret plan, I wonder? Well… IT'S A SECRET! MWHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!

**A/N: **…Disclaimer, you weirdo…

And a quick notise: Link and Shiek's conversation might confuse you. It talks about my theory on the events of OOT.  
-Shiek would always jump down to Link whenever they were onto the next Sage  
-Link was the one Shiek taught the songs to, ALONE  
-If I ever decide to publish my theory of OOT, you'll see! XD

With that taken care of…Let's continue!

**Chapter Sixteen: Like Thunder The Air Crackles  
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_Now I'm beginning to understand how Roy felt 2 years ago…_ thought Marth sadly as he lay back-first on his bed. _He…he left me…_

The door opened, and Roy stuck his head in. "…Marth?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

"…I'm fine, Roy…" said Marth quietly, rolling to his side.

"That was a stupid question. Marth, you aren't fine," said Roy, coming inside. "C…Could you tell me what happened?"

"…nothing…"

"Nothing?" repeated Roy, frowning in concern. "Please, don't hide anything from me. I'm all ears."

Math clenched his blanket. "I…I don't know what to say about it… Everything happened so fast… But Link and I are no longer…"

"No longer…? You mean, you broke it off?" asked Roy in shock.

"I didn't…Link did. To be with him…" said Marth.

"…to be… To be with him…?" Roy sat down at the edge of the bed. "This mysterious jealous party… Who is he? And why did Link leave you for him?"

"It's Shiek…" answered Marth.

"…?! What!?" Roy stood up. "T-That can't-- Shiek is the… How-- How is that possible, Marth!?"

"I wish I knew…" said Marth quietly. "I don't understand it at all… I thought he would… He said nothing would come between us, and yet we're split apart, on his account… Just so Zelda will be all right…"

"I don't blame him for being worried about her," muttered Roy a bit shamefacedly, knowing he was part of the problem. "Zelda would be having a harder time dealing with me and Lee if she was worried about Shiek's jealousy."

"It's more then that!" said Marth, sitting up so he could look up at Roy. "Why didn't he think about _me_? After all we've been through, being together for two years now, it wasn't enough for him to consider how I felt!"

"Marth…"

"…" Marth sighed and looked down. "I want him back, Roy…" he said quietly. "I never expected to _feel_ jealous… to want him for my own… I hate this feeling, it is repulsive….but I feel it… _I want him back…_"

Roy saddened a little and turned around. "I'm sorry, but about that, there's nothing I can do, Marth…" When Marth didn't answer, Roy looked back. "You won't… This jealousy, how deep is it? What exactly defines this jealousy?"

"This jealousy…" repeated Marth. He closed his eyes and hugged a pillow. "It is a sickening feeling. Whenever I think about Link leaving me, I get pretty angry… when I think about him being happy with someone else, my insides boil like I've never felt before…"

"That's some intense jealousy…" remarked Roy quietly.

The prince sighed and opened his eyes, shaking his head. "I can't close my eyes without seeing him smile at me…" he smiled a little, putting a hand to his mouth. "I can still taste him, too…"

"It huts that bad?" Roy turned so he could face Marth. "If it's that bad, shouldn't we…?"

"No, don't do anything… This jealousy is mine to deal with," said Marth. "Telling you has helped a lot." he looked up at Roy. "Whatever should happen, don't get involved with my problems."

"But Marth, what you said to me, how can I not be concerned?" asked Roy. "All that you said, I'm worried that you might try something…"

"I won't try anything… really," said Marth, as Roy looked a bit doubtful and concerned. "I feel a little better now that I've talked with you, Roy… So…"

"….if you say so," said Roy at last, turning around and heading for the door. "Just remember… that I'm here for you, buddy…" he left the room.

"…" Marth laid back down on the bed with a sad sigh. _Now that I've let out how I feel… I'm exhausted… Maybe it'd be best for me to get some rest…_ he rolled to his side. _Tomorrow… I will have to carry on, like nothing happened… And one day, when all this is over… I will let him know what it is he is…_

**Downstairs…**

It was early in the morning, around 4-5 ish. Link was standing at the window, looking at the cloudy gray morning. _Not Hyrule's skies…_ he thought. _And certainly not Altea's…_

Shiek came downstairs and saw Link. "You were still awake?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep…" Link glanced back at Shiek. "I was thinking about a few things is all…"

"Like what?" asked Shiek.

"…I was wondering…" Link looked out the window. "When exactly…did you fall in love with me? Are you serious about it?"

"I wouldn't say such things if I wasn't," said Shiek, walking over to Link and putting his hands on Link's shoulders. "But it was when I first met you when I realized how close we were."

"Close?" Link looked up at Shiek. "What do you mean?"

"You and I are born from darkness," said Shiek. "A shadow, a disguise. That's all we were thought to be. Each time I met you… Each time you and I met each other's gazes… I knew."

"Oh…You mean…?" Link looked out the window again. "I never knew that…"

"This needn't last long," said Shiek suddenly, turning around and walked a few paces away.

"…hmm…?" Link turned around. "What do you mean?"

"This whole…'jealous' thing," said Shiek. "The only time I get to be with you is while Zelda's depressed. When she recovers, she will probably be reluctant to let me come out. And also, there's something I want…"

"Something you want?" repeated Link. "Time? What--What are you saying?"

"There is a reason why I chose now to strike and bite hard," said Shiek. "But that reason, you'll know soon enough…"

"What reason would that be?" Link tilted his head a little, confused. "All of this… you're after something…"

"You shall see, just be patient," said Shiek. He walked over to Link and kneeled down so he could meet eyes with him. "It'll be only for a while. Once I get what I want, you can return to your own happiness. Right now, what I'm after is just for me… Something, the only thing, I have ever wanted…"

"Can't you at least tell me what this 'thing' is?" asked Link, taking a small involuntary step back. "I mean… I'm starting to get both nervous and confused…"

"That is natural. My plan is rather confusing…" Shiek put a hand on Link's shoulder and pulled him a little closer and said into his ear, "When I have got what I wanted… I will never disturb you again. I will continue to love you from afar, as I have for 10 long years…"

"…what…?" Link went a little red and glared up at Shiek. "You make no sense…! First, you drive me and Marth apart, and now, you…?"

"All will be made clear," said Shiek quietly. "It will. But for now… Be happy with me."

"I…" Link looked down. "Well… If you…" he bit his lip and nodded. "Yes… I'll be happy with you, Shiek…"

Shiek smiled. "I was hoping to hear that… Now run upstairs and get some sleep. You may not have any battles to fight, but you'll be interested in the tournament, yes?"

"…okay." Link looked up at Shiek with a small smile. "I'm kinda tired anyway… Good night, Shiek…" he walked past Shiek and up the stairs.

"…quite a vital plan…" said Shiek quietly to himself, walking to the window and looking outside. "Everything I have ever wanted from him, I'm sure to get…" he smirked a little to himself and leaned on the windowsill. _And I mean everything…_

**Upstairs… (Link POV)**

_It's really strange, all that Shiek was saying… I confess myself confused. He seemed so determined that Marth and I split up, and now, he's saying he'll give us the chance to get together again…after he "gets what he wants"… What could it be? It was very confusing for me… I came back into my room and flopped back first onto my bed with a sigh._

_Everyone was confusing at the moment… The tournament… What is so important about next week's match…? Is it because Roy and Lee are gonna fight in it? I wonder the winner will determine who wins Zelda? Will she be pleased with this battle? Something tells me she won't be…_

_This bitter struggle, this triangle between Roy, Lee, and Zelda… Will it become that way with me, Marth, and Shiek? It already looks like Marth has given up… but no, I know him better then that… He won't give up on me… But what if he decides to fight for me as well? Like the way Roy fights so hard for Zelda…_

_I don't want to be fought over… I know that. But I lay to side, resting one hand on the pillow. Eying my wrist as I do so. I remember that day when Marth nearly held me down… So strong he was, I couldn't shake him off if I tried… _

_I'm laying there, with a small smile… a smile that invites Shiek or Marth to try for me…_

**One week later… (3PO)**

Emotions were running high this past week at the Smashers HQ. Not only because of the tournament battle that day, but because of the buzz on the romance front. Somehow, the Smashers found out about Link and Shiek being an item now, and they also wondered how Lee would fare as Marth's stand-by in this fight.

This was the battle schedule:

**Round 2**

**Lee/Samus VS Shiek/Roy (Battle Field)  
Peach/Ganondorf VS Mario/Dr. Mario (Jungle Japes)  
Bowser/Donkey Kong VS Pikachu/Kirby (Flat World)  
[Yoshi/Ice Climbers- stand by to 3rd round**

"The air does seem to be electrically charged," remarked Peach as she read the battle schedule for that day. "It feels as though a storm is about to break, amongst us all, in these very walls…"

"I guess so," said Samus, cracking her knuckles. "Not that it matters… Lee and I will win this next battle! How do you think you'll do, Peach?"

"Ganondorf and I work well enough together, I'm sure we'll win," said Peach confidently.

"Yeah, that's true." Ganondorf had appeared behind Peach. "But still, this charged atmosphere is no excuse to be hesitant to fight! Right!"

"Right…" agreed Peach.

"That's nice, for those who actually won the first round…" said Falco. "I suppose it means less work for me, but I'll still be bored…"

"Quit your bellyaching, first round ought a be good," said Fox, sitting next to Falco. "Round one begins in 20 minutes, and this is the battle we've been anticipating for a week! Roy and Lee finally get to face each other. With Shiek and Samus fighting as well…"

"Yeah…you're right…" said Falco. "I bet this battle will be well-remembered by some of us…"

Marth came downstairs slowly. _Today's the big day…_ he thought to himself. _Roy and Shiek will be fighting against Samus and Lee… This fight… will it really determine who the winner is today?_

"Aah, Marth, there you are," said Roy, running over to Marth. "Man, you finally woke up! I'm a nervous wreck! I was hoping to see you!"

"I suppose you are a little nervous," said Marth, glancing at Roy. "But you'll be fine as long as you keep a cool head and do your best! I'll be rooting for you, of course!"

"Shouldn't you root for me, since I'm your partner?" called Samus.

"Eh heh heh… Maybe I won't take sides then," said Marth with a nervous chuckle. "But really… You'll be fine, Roy."

"Ah…right…if you say so," said Roy, taking a deep breath and sighing. "You're right… I'm just a little worried, that's all… Thanks, Marth."

"It's all right," smiled Marth, watching Roy walk Shiek. _…hmm… I wonder where Link is… I didn't see him come down… and I was sure he'd be here…_

Then someone crashed into him from behind. "Oof! Marth?"

"Wah!" Marth grabbed the stair rail for support and looked back. "Ah… Link! What're you doing there…?"

"I was deep in thought, coming downstairs to see the tournament, and crashed into you," said Link, rubbing his bum. "This has become a habit…"

"It's not my fault you're so easily knocked off your feet," said Marth, holding out a hand. "Here, let me help you up."

"Thanks…" Link took the hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he just smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He walked past Marth downstairs to go sit behind the couch.

Marth watched him go sadly. _Oh… I forget sometimes, that he'll act like he normally does around others… that kind of face, he gives to Shiek… not to me…_ he sighed sadly and trekked downstairs to go sit on the other couch.

"It's about-a time!" announced Mario. "Roy, Shiek-a, you come now, and so do-a you, Lee and-a Samus!"

"Time to begin, huh?" asked Samus, picking up her helmet and putting it on. "Sure, I'm coming! Let's go, Lee!"

"…right, Let's go…" said Lee quietly.

Link looked over the side of the couch at Lee. _Wow, I'm surprised at how serious he looks… I never would have imagined Lee taking anything this seriously… He must not want to lose Zelda…_

"Ready, Roy?" called Shiek over his shoulder.

"Yep, I'm ready," said Ro, setting down the water glass he was drinking from. "Ah…Okay…"

The four headed for the Portal and called, "Battle Field!" and vanished. All remaining Smashers crowded around the screen to watch what might be the biggest battle of all tournament time.  
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**YAYAYAYAY!!! Chapter 16, up FINALLY!! Yay:3 I'm so happy, to finally get it done! -- Writers block is cruel she is…**


	18. Chapter 18

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **...battle scenes...

**A/N: **I'm not my best at battle scenes, but I shall do my best, ne:3 I hope I won't fail you! All right, here goes!!

And quickly, to a Miss (or Mr.) Ellu, if you're reading this. Yes, I explained in the prologue that "Adult Link" is Lee, and "Young Link" is "Link". I really can't see how this is confusing. Do try to enjoy the story, though. :3

Move on!!

**Chapter Seventeen: Battle For Zelda  
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Roy, Shiek, Samus, and Lee arrived at the Battlefield, each face as serious as the rest. They knew this would be a battle all the Smashers would be watching, not to mention the new Smashers, watching from the audience. What kind of impression would this battle make on them?

"Are you ready, Shiek?" asked Roy quietly to his partner. "Lee's mine, remember! Don't fight him, even if he comes to you."

"Not to worry, I have a plan for taking Samus down," said Shiek.

Lee was having a similar conversation with Samus. "Whatever you should do this tournament, Samus, let me take care of Roy. This fight is for me as much as it is for him! I _have_ to defeat him!"

"Hey, do what you like," said Samus with a shrug. "I'll leave Roy to you."

"Thanks…" Lee nodded and turned to his opponent. "Let's take this fight away from these two," he said to Roy. "We'll take the lower platform, and avoid the upper ones. Sword on sword!"

"That's fine with me," said Roy, unsheathing his sword. "Let's settle this…"

"Ready…" called the announcer's voice. Shiek and Samus nodded to each other and jumped to the higher platform as Lee drew his own sword and shield. They held each other's gazes, waiting the announcer…

"GO!!!"

And like a jack-in-the-box released from it's spring, Lee and Roy charged at each other, and the Master Sword met the Sword of Seals with an almighty clang.

**At the Smasher's HQ…**

"Whoa… Look at them go!" yowled Fox, standing up. "This is an amazing fight, right from the outset!"

"It is…" said Peach quietly.

Marth shifted in his seat a little. _Just how intense will this fight go…?_

"…" Link looked over the side of the couch, watching the fight too. Roy and Lee exchanged blows, but haven't done any serious damage despite how furious their attacks. _It's still early in the match… Nobody's pairing attention to Shiek and Samus… I wonder if this will affect how the rest of the tournament goes…_

**At the fight…**

Lee and Roy had been exchanging blows, both trying to knock the other off his feet. "You never should have chosen this path!" yelled Lee, taking a swipe at Roy. "This battle will be your loss!"

"The only thing that will be lost is Zelda's love for you!" snarled Roy, jumping back and swinging his sword. "I will win!" he powered his sword and struck hard, whacking Lee smartly on the side.

"Ugh…!' Lee shook himself and got up quickly, lunging forward. "Hyaa!" His attack struck Roy's shoulder pad, misbalancing the swordsman.

"Oof…! Grr…" Roy jumped up and back. "You're really giving it your all, aren't you? I shall, too!" He performed the Dragon Dance [1.

Lee swung sword on sword, preventing any slash from reaching him, but made the mistake of taking a Smash on Roy; he quickly countered, and Lee flew back. "Waaah…!" He pulled out the hookshot and latched it onto the edge. _Damn…! I was careless!_ he gritted his teeth. _It won't happen again!_ he pulled himself up and drew his sword again.

"You're easily distracted…" said Roy, swinging his sword. "And already I've given you great damage. One more strong strike from me and you're gone…"

"Why, you…!" Overcome with the fury of battle, Lee let out a battle cry and charged at Roy again, swing his sword with fury. "You will not win this battle!!" each consecutive strike hit Roy, and this time, he flew across the field, landing back first on the ground.

"Ohh…" Roy sat up and rubbed his head. "Man, you fight with all your fury… But so do I!" he rolled backwards and powered up a Smash of his own. "Come and get me!"

Lee took a few steps forward, deciding how to strike Roy while he was charging. _Maybe as soon as he's done… I can--_ "Duwaaah!" he had waited too long, and just the edge of Roy's blazing sword had reached him. He was flying farther and farther from the stage…

Roy walked to the edge of the stage to witness the fall. _One life down…_ he thought as Lee hit the bottom of the stage and vanished. _And now… four more to go…_ he looked up to see where Lee was, and his eyes widened in surprise as Lee cam charging down.

"I believe in a fair competition!" he yowled, and kicked Roy off the field.

"Geh…Mwaah!!" yelled Roy as he hit the left end of the stage.

Lee fixed his hair and looked up. _Okay…now we're both down to 4 lives out of five… This time… I won't_…

**At the Smasher's HQ…**

The Smashers all yelled in the excitement. "Damn, we have to sit at home and watch this!" yowled Ganondorf. "No fair, we should have access to toe stadium seats, too!"

"Ooh, yeah!" agreed Ness. "Then we could see the action live and in true color! But this huge TV screen suffices. This fight is amazing!"

"Oh…Roy…" Marth clenched a fist. _If you're not careful, Lee will wipe the floor with you!_

Link was watching the fight from behind the couch still. _How intense… Shiek and Samus are fighting just as hard, and nobody watches them…_ he frowned a little, reddening at the cheeks. _If Marth was in this battle… would he and Shiek be fighting this hard for me…? I wonder why Lee took Marth's place instead of Samus's… Did he want to avoid a double conflict?_

"Ouch, Samus went down one life for the count," announced Falco. "I'm surprised she held out for so long!"

"Yeah, Shiek's fighting pretty well," agreed Nana. She looked up at Falco. "Are you and I the only ones watching the two fight?"

"Eh, maybe." Falco shrugged.

_You're not the only one…_ thought Link. _I'm watching the entire fight… for Marth's sake as much as Shiek…_

**At the battle…**

Shiek and Samus did continue to fight above, but both were unnoticed by Lee and Roy, both facing each other. They both had only 4 lives left; to use them well, to defeat the other, would take…

_Roy's pretty strong… but I'm stronger than he…_ thought Lee. _If I can just get close enough to strike without being striked…_

Roy took a step back. _We both have 4 lives left… If I'm quick, a mix of Smashes and my counter will lead me to victory…_

"All right! We're both still fresh and ready for more!" called Lee. "Come, Roy! Let us fight more!!" he yelled and charged at Roy.

Who quickly rolled out of Lee's way, and dodged another blow. "This is nothing… You can't…" He swiped at Lee, striking his upper left arm.

"Yaah…" Lee jumped back and rubbed his arm. "Ouch… Grr… Hiiyaaaa!!" he readied his sword and twirled about, landing a blow at the back of Roy's head.

The lord winced and rubbed the back of his head. _Ow, he whammed me hard… _ he looked back at Lee. "You're gonna pay for that… Toriya!!" he charged and swiped below, tripping Lee again.

Lee gasped and quickly rolled back, avoiding Roy's strike. Hopping back up, he rushed to Roy and delivered a quick spin attack. "Take that!"

The quick spin attack caught Roy unawares; he flung back, not tok far though, close to the edge. He sat up, catching his breath a little. "Ah…ha…. If that's how you want to go…" he stood up and waved his sword again, making it all aflame. "Then here I come!!" Before Lee had time to think, Roy quickly unleashed an uncharged, albeit powerful, Shield Breaker [2.

"Duwaa!" Lee was sent flying into the air, higher and higher… came crashing back down. He winced and lay there for a few moments, trying to recover. _Damn…that was unexpected…again! I can't go on like this!_ Lee got back up and whirled around to face Roy. "You've got guts…"

"I know… This is about deciding who gets Zelda…" Roy caught his breath slowly, taking a step towards Lee. "This will decide!"

"You expect too much from yourself," spat Lee, and charged at Roy with another war yell. "She will never fall for you!" he charged and thrust hard at Roy, knocking him over the edge.

Roy gasped and grabbed onto the edge, looking up at Lee. "Fair competition?" he repeated with a scoff. "You'll knock me down, won't you?"

"All's fair in love and war," said Lee, and whammed Roy's hand, making the redhead fall to his doom.

**At Smashers HQ…**

"Oh, my!" cried Peach. "Roy has lost 2 lives now!"

"Pretty intense…" muttered Yoshi.

"Wow… I wonder who'll win…" said Popo. "My money's on Lee now!"

Marth let out a breath he'd been holding. _Lee probably will defeat Roy… What will Roy do if he loses? And yet…what will he do if he wins? Roy, 3 lives…Lee, 4..._

Link turned around and stood on knees to watch the battle better. "Oh…" he blinked, watching Shiek and Samus fight. _Shiek just got knocked out…nobody noticed this time… Everyone's watching Lee and Roy fight… _

"Ne… Link," said Marth quietly to Link. "What do you make of all this?"

"Hmm…? Me?" Link looked up at Marth. "I…I don't know… Half of me wonders what'll happen if Roy does win… What will Roy do? And Zelda? Something…tells me she doesn't like this…" Link looked down sadly, and slunk behind the couch again. "I'm…worried…"

"Link…" Marth sighed sadly and watched the battle. _Don't try to get closer to him…_ he thought as he watched. _Link has enough to worry about…_ he clenched a fist unconsciously.

The fight carried on for a long time, much to the joy of the rest of the Smashers, who were insanely enjoying the battle. While Shiek and Samus continued to fight each other, Roy and Lee fought more intensely than ever…

"Man, brutal!!" yelled someone.

Link jumped awake and looked around. _Oh…I dozed off…_ he yawned and looked over the couch. "What happened, Marth?"

"Oh, people finally noticed Shiek and Samus fighting when Shiek lost his 5th and final life. Shiek should be here any minute…"

"Wait… Shiek was…defeated?" Link rubbed one eye and looked past Marth's shoulder to the screen.

"_Shiek is defeated!_" announced the announcer.

"Oh… Shiek lost…? How much did I miss?"

"Not much," answered Marth. "Roy and Lee entered the blood feud for Zelda of all time… Lee…is winning…"

**With the battle…**

Roy and Lee stood facing each other, both completely exhausted. Samus, the only one remaining after KO-ing Shiek, watching the fight from above. She sat on the platform, fanning herself off. _Man… what a battle… I wonder what Roy and Lee will do now…_

Roy stood at one end of the stage, breath coming in gasps. _I--I can't believe it… We're both an inch from defeat… We could… lose… _he took a deep breath and readied his sword. _I--J can't… I…_

Lee was more pulled together than Roy; wiped his forehead off with a slight smirk. "You see now, Roy… You CANNOT win! Let this end! Now!" he pointed his sword at Roy. "Are you ready?"

Roy took a step back. "I…" he clenched his own sword tightly, then let out a war cry and charged at Lee.

"Hmm…" Lee charged his Smash attack…

"Hiyaaaa….." Roy raised his sword high…

And there it was…the final blow.

Lee and Roy stood stock still, their backs facing each other. Samus held her breath, waiting to see who fell first. "Lee…? Roy…?"

"…looks like I win…" said Lee, checking his sword, where he could see Roy fall to his knees.

"No…I.." Roy stuck the sword into the ground trying to steady himself. "I--I can't lose…Zelda…"

"You lost the battle. You lost." Lee turned around and shakily walked to Roy. "And now, you must lose the tournament." he swung the sword.

Taking as much damage as he had, it's no surprise that Roy went flying straight into the air. "No…Maaaaaahhhhh…." yelled Roy as he vanished and became a star.

Samus looked up at the spot where Roy vanished and let out a small sigh of relief. "We won… We won Round 2..."

"Roy is defeated!" announced the announcer. "This rounds' winner is Lee and Samus!" he roared to the cheering crowd.

"That is done…" said Lee quietly, sheathing the sword. "Now… Roy can finally give up…" he looked down, and entered the Portal.

"Ah! Hey, wait for me!" yowled Samus, following Lee.

What awaited them at the Smashers HQ was a tremendous cheering and whooping from a majority of the Smashers; Dr. Mario and Peach were hurrying to get Roy to the infirmary unharmed; Marth went with them.

Link watched Marth go, and looked up at Shiek. "So… Roy lost," he said.

"Yes…" agreed Shiek. "This time…"

"Eh? This time?"

"Zelda isn't too happy about this," said Shiek. "Though at the same time, she is flattered that Roy and Lee fought so viciously for her…"

"…okay…" Link looked down. "I'll be in the trophy room, where it is less noisy…"

"Hmm… Go on, then," said Shiek. "I'll meet up with you, too. Okay?"

"…of course it's okay…" said Link quietly, and he walked past everyone else, went into the Portal and called, "Trophy Room!"  
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**Wow! Pretty neat, huh? XD Updated again yay!! Aren't you happy! You should be! I hope I wrote the battle scene okay… My battle scenes, screwy!! **

**Anyway… The plot will heaten some more! Marth's jealousy will grow intense, and we'll see some of that "minor harassment". XD I'll say no more! See ya, and remember to review!  
**

**Till the next update!**


	19. Chapter 19

**When Nothing Is Said**

**Disclaimer: **A long-awaited update.

**A/N: **Man, how long it's been since I updated this? I started this story almost a year or so ago, didn't I? Ehehe, the calendar here will not make sense…Let's just keep hoping for a new chapter, huh? Read up now!

**Chapter Eighteen: A Test?**

**--**

When Link arrived at the quiet room, he sighed and laid back-first against the couch. Marth went to go check on Roy… I'd go with him…but that would be trying to get too close to him…

Shiek appeared at the Portal. "Wow, it really is more quiet in here," he remarked, leaning against the table. "Is something wrong? You look a little distressed," he said.

"No, I'm fine," answered Link, sitting up so he could look up at Shiek. "I'm just thinking about a few things, that's all…"

"I see…" Shiek looked up at the ceiling, then down at Link again. "You and Marth came in here often, right?"

Link blushed and looked down. "S-So what? Everyone knows I come in here…and Marth followed sometimes…yes…"

"What sort of things did you do? Nothing naughty, I trust?"

"No, not at all!" yowled Link. "That's an odd question to ask me! Whenever we came in here, we just talked, not asked weird questions!"

"Hmm…" Shiek crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. "Tell me, Link… Do you hate me for what I've done?"

"What? Hate you?" Link looked up at Shiek. "No, I don't… I told you I'd be happy with you, didn't I? Why do you ask?"

"No reason… I just hope nothing will interfere with what I will get." he crossed the room to sit next to Link on the couch. "You've been staring at these trophies a long time…whenever you were alone, that is…"

"You…You've seen me alone in here?" asked Link.

"Yeah." Shiek glanced over at the table. "What did you imagine when you looked at them?"

"Well…uh…" Link looked down. "I never really told anyone what I do in here…n-not even Marth knows what I imagine…"

"You won't even tell me? There's no need to be embarrassed," said Sheik. "Or do you feel that that's too personal for even me?"

"Uh…yes, a bit."

Shiek nodded. "If you insist then…" he leaned over to Link and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "I'll go rejoin the rest of the Smashers. You're going to come?"

"No…I…" he poked at the couch. "I'll wait here for a bit longer…"

"Okay." Sheik stood up and headed for the Portal. "Though, you shouldn't stay here too long," he said, looking back at Link. "Perhaps there is somewhere else you can sit and think?"

"Huh…right…" Link looked up distractedly to see Sheik disappear into the Portal. "…." he looked back down. _I bet he thinks Marth is going to come in here… I wouldn't be surprised if Marth did…but he wouldn't come now, he'd be checking on Roy…_ he looked up at the ceiling. _I wonder how he is…_

**With Marth…**

Marth waited outside the infirmary, trying to shake his head of any worries. _I'm sure Roy will be fine…I'm just sure of it…_

Samus walked over to Marth. "Hey, do we know how Roy is doing yet?"

"No, not yet…"

"Lee sure did give Roy a hard beating," remarked Samus, crossing her arms. "I mean, this was the biggest fight of their romantic lives. But did Roy honestly think he could change Zelda's mind by defeating Lee?"

"He thought he could…" Marth sighed sadly. "Though I doubt this battle would change anything for them…"

"Maybe you're right…" Samus looked to the infirmary. "Hey, have you ever wondered why Lee chose to replace you rather than me?"

"It should be obvious, shouldn't it? Lee didn't want…well, me and Shiek…Lee didn't…"

"Oh…of course." she looked over to Marth again. "But, you wouldn't have fought so hard over that kid, would you? Does he really need something like that?"

"…" Marth looked down. "Well, I…"

"Marth! Did you want to see Roy now?" Dr. Mario walked out of the infirmary, followed by Peach.

"Roy's well enough to have visitors," said Peach. "One at a time, though, for about 10 minutes."

"Oh…yes, yes I'll go see him," said Marth. "We'll train later, Samus?"

"Eh, I suppose so," said Samus. "I'll go watch the rest of the matches now." She walked away.

Marth sighed and walked into the infirmary over to Roy. "Hey," he said, taking a seat by the bed.

"Ah…Marth…" Roy glanced over at him. "I'm glad you came…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Well…aside from utter devastation at my loss, and a tentative drive to try again, I feel fine," said Roy dejectedly. "Doctor and Peach managed to patch up the physical wounds, though they'll want me to stay here for a few days…"

"Oh, Roy…" Marth looked worried. "You won't seriously try again, will you? You fought hard, yet you still lost. Maybe you should--"

"Give up?" finished Roy. "That's something I'd thought you'd say. But you can't say the same thing to yourself, can you, Marth?"

"Uh…mm…" Marth rested his head on his hands. "Hmph, you're right…"

"We can't ever really give up, can we?" asked Roy. "You want your…er, you want Link back, and I want to be with Zelda… I wonder if either of us can achieve our romance desires…"

"I…sure hope so," said Marth quietly. "I do want him back, but…I just don't want to bring him any more trouble…"

"Then you did get over your little jealousy thing?" asked Roy. "That's good…I was worried that you might have tried something…" he closed his eyes and leaned against the pillow.

"…right," said Marth._ I still feel pretty much the same when thinking of Link with…him,_ he thought.

"Ahh, but Lee had no reason to be jealous like that," sighed Roy, looking at the ceiling now. "What would Zelda say when she comes back…? It would be a good thing and a bad thing depending…"

"Depending on what?" asked Marth.

"When Zelda comes back, she'll have to switch with Sheik…and he'll have to let Link go then, won't he? And Zelda would have reached her decision…"

"You'll accept her decision, whatever it may be, won't you?"

Roy stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, then looked over at Marth. "Yes… I will. I owe her that much."

Marth nodded agreement as Dr. Mario walked inside. "Well, it's time for Roy to resume resting. You can come see him again tomorrow, Marth."

"…all right, sensei." Marth stood up. "Get some rest, Roy."

"Heh, I sure will," said Roy, "I'm not going anywhere in a hurry."

"All right…see you." Marth waved to Roy and walked back to the entertainment room. Some were chatting still about the match between Lee and Roy, while others talked about the upcoming match between Peach and Ganondorf versus Mario and Dr. Mario.

"It'll-a be a good match, too!" said Mario excitedly. "Even though I'll-a be against-a my Peach-a, I'll be sure to do my best-a!"

Peach put her crown back on and smiled at Mario. "Of course you'll do your best! You're my Mario, and I don't want you to go easy on me." she poked his nose. "Okay?"

"Okey-dokey!"

Marth sat down at one of the couches and glanced towards the Portal. _I wonder if he went in there…should I go see him…?_

"Okay, it's a plan!" said Nana excitedly to the other kids. "No one will ever notice!"

"Right! ….what are we doing again?" asked Ness.

"Oh, come on! We're going to sneak into the Stadium with our Brawl costumes!" said Nana.

"Oh yeah!"

"Sneak into the Stadium?" Peach walked over to them. "Master Hand has told us we are to observe the matches right here!"

"Uh-oh! We weren't planning anything, Peach!" said Nana and Popo.

"Yes, we're being good!" agreed Ness.

"Don't try to lie, I heard you all!" said Peach sternly. "You're not going anywhere but here to watch the matches!"

"But Peach…!"

_Those kids are always planning mischief…_ thought Marth, shaking his head. _I'll go see if he's there after all…just to see how he's doing…_ he stood up and went to the Portal, and said "_Figure Room_!" When he got there, Link was laying back-first on the couch again, his eyes closed. _Is he asleep?_

"…" Link made no sound except for his breathing.

"Heh…I guess he is," said Marth quietly, walking over to Link. _I wonder why he's falling asleep here…does he have that much on his mind? _he gave a small smile, resting one hand on Link's cheek. _He's so cute…when he's asleep…_

"Ah..!" Link shot up in surprise, looking around. "Wha..? What was that…?"

"L-Link! You were awake?" Marth withdrew his hand quickly. "Oh, I--I'm sorry!"

"Oh…I-it's you…" Link narrowed his eyes a little. "What do you want?"

"I just…I wanted to see you," said Marth. "Just talk again. We're not together now, but that's no reason to--"

"Just talk!" repeated Link, looking a bit angry now. "You had your hand on my cheek! You were going to take advantage of me, weren't you!?

Marth blinked in surprise. "No! What made you think I would?"

"I can imagine how you're feeling about my being with Sheik now, but that is no reason for you to think we can be anything else than what we were!" Link stood up. "Tell me, what were you going to do?"

"I.," Marth looked down a little. _Oh dear, this didn't go as planned at all…_ "Link, please trust me, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Hmph… If you say so, fine." Link started to walk away.

"Uh…wait! Wait a minute!" Marth quickly grabbed Link by his wrist.

"Ah--hey!" Link looked back at Marth. "What is it now?"

"I want us to spend a bit more time together, Link, like I said. You shouldn't have to treat me like this, not after what we've been through!"

"The past doesn't matter now, Marth," said Link, glancing away. "You know neither you or I would be able to keep it at that."

"Yes, but look at how you sounded minutes ago!" said Marth. "You wouldn't treat anyone else like that, even if you didn't like them. I want to know why you're acted like that."

"What does it matter how I acted?" Link looked up at Marth again. "I was surprised, all right? If you're this upset now because I yelled, I'm sorry."

"…" Marth sighed.

Link took the moment of Marth's hesitation to pull away. "If you can catch me alone again, do what you will. But know I won't be happy with you at all if you do." he turned away.

"What?! What do you mean by that?" Marth took a step towards Link. "You've done it again, that venomous anger you have."

"Just go back now, Marth. You should work out what that means on your own."

"What do…?" Marth watched Link walk past him to sit on the couch again. "You won't be happy with whatever I may do to you?"

"No…I can't."

"What about all that you said before?" Marth turned to Link. "Don't you remember? You told me you wouldn't have minded at all."

"…" Link looked down. "T-That was before… When I thought I'd be happiest with you."

"Are you saying you're…happy with him?" asked Marth.

"I'm happy with him." Link glanced up at Marth. _…that's a new expression for Marth,_ thought Link. _He looks a bit angrier than I felt…_

Indeed Marth had narrowed his eyes some when Link said that. _He's really happy with him? Happier than he was with me? I can't believe this… I'm suddenly nothing to him now?_

"There's no point looking like that," said Link. _You'll just have to wait a little longer till Sheik gets whatever it is he wants of me,_ he thought.

"No point?" repeated Marth. He clenched one fist. _Just when I thought I'd softened that jealousy up, I'm…feeling really mad now… he took a step towards Link. "_But I think I should feel this way!"

Link looked a bit alarmed now. _He--he's really mad now… _"I--I suppose you should then, just don't look at me that way!"

"You…Ooh!" Marth turned around and walked a few paces away. _I--I've got to calm down…what am I thinking? I can't get mad at him…_

"…" Link watched Marth carefully. _W-What if he really does try something? I wonder how much I have to say before he completely gets mad?_ "You should just go, Marth. Take time to cool off."

"…r-right," stammered Marth. "I…should…"

"Or if you want to sit here alone, I could go elsewhere. I'm sure a certain someone would want me with them now."

"…you mean, Sheik," said Marth. "Is he expecting you?"

"Either here or there, yes," said Link. "Or is it your turn to get angry now? If you have something to say, go on out with it."

Marth whirled around. "One thing after another! Will you stop treating me like that! I was only hoping I'd be a little bit more to you!"

"Very few people mean anything to me," said Link. "You haven't fallen out of my favor…maybe you were never up there at all."

"…what…does that mean?" Marth walked over to Link slowly. "You can't be serious. You didn't mean that, did you?"

"Not entirely…"

"Not entirely?! Give me a straight answer!" yelled Marth, grabbing Link by the shoulders now.

"Ah--!" Link looked up at Marth in surprise. _He's…really angry now…I shouldn't push him any more…_ "That's the best answer you will ever hope to get from me for that question!"

"You…" Marth closed his eyes. _What is he doing this for…What does he think I will do? If he's trying to make me mad, it's working…_

"Let me go now," said Link.

"…" Marth looked down to meet eyes with Link. _…what am I doing? He--he must be testing me… He wants to see if I would snap on him… He released Link and backed up. _"Link…"

"…catch me if you can." Link stood and walked to the Portal. "Headquarters," he said, and vanished from sight.

"…hah…" Marth sat down wearily on the couch. "Catch him…if I can…? Ugh…" he put a hand on his head. Why_ does he want me to do something to him? Does he want to see how far I would go? _he looked up at the ceiling. _If he…says anything like that again…I will have to show him. _

--

**Whoo! Yay, another chapter done! Now things are getting interesting! Sorry if this chapter seemed weird short…I've been trying to pick up my old writing habit, but that's coming along pretty slowly…eehh. Stay tuned for another chapter!**


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